Shadow
by Kurosaki girl 0890
Summary: Come back with me." she pleaded, her tears mixing with the rain. His cold black eyes displayed no emotion. It has been three years since Sasuke left the village, can Sakura's feelings be enough to bring Sasuke back? okay i suck at summarys but please R!
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Okay, of course I don't own Naruto or anything so now that that's out of the way I can talk about the story and the great person that has been so willing to help me out. SilverDeathAngel is my Beta reader and she's amazing! I don't know her well but I'm excited to get our friendship started. Thank you so much for doing this for me! :D So this story just came to me while i was looking at some pictures of Sasuke and Sakura that people have drawn, so that helped me decide if i was going to go through with writing this. Enough of my chatting now, please read and review! Thanks so much! hope you like it. Tatta till next time! **

Shadow

Sakura lay on her stomach on her bed as she slowly turned the pages of her newest novel. The curtains to her window rustled and she wasn't surprised when she caught sight of Naruto leaning against the side of the window.

"Sakura why are you reading when it's so nice outside? You can always read when it's raining."

She dog-eared the page as she spoke, "Why don't you go bother Kakashi Sensei?"

Naruto's face fell.

"Because he's reading Make Out Paradise and you know how he gets when he is interrupted, especially on his day off."

Sakura shrugged as Naruto leaned his head against the wall.

"Sakura, why do you still have that picture?"

Sakura glanced up from her book to look at the picture he was pointing at. It was the picture of Team 7 back when Sasuke Uchiha was still with them.

"I haven't given up on him yet. I know I should and Kakashi keeps telling me that I should but..."

"I don't think you should. I haven't given up on him either." Naruto interrupted.

Sakura looked at him and smiled.

"I made you a promise Sakura and I intend on keeping it."

Her face fell slightly.

"Naruto....the last time you went after him he almost killed you. I told you that I would be the one going after him and bringing him back for the both of us."

Naruto shook his head, his black headband tails swishing as he did.

"If he almost killed me imagine what he could do to you. No offense at all but he would kill you and I wouldn't be happy if that happened."

Sakura shut her novel and placed it back on her nightstand.

"What do you want to do Naruto?"

Naruto looked up from his thoughts.

"You mean you want to hang out?"

Sakura smiled which caused his heart to skip a beat.

"Of course, would you like to go eat or do something else?"

Naruto couldn't help the happiness that escaped him. He flew from his spot and landed on her bed next to her.

"Sakura you've made me so happy!"

He flung his arms around her, catching her off guard. After a few seconds she held him back.

"I have an idea!" He proclaimed as he let her go, "Why don't we go train together? It'd be fun, don't you think?"

Sakura put her index finger to her lips.

"Hmm....kicking your butt would be fun..."

"Hey now!! There is no way you'll be able to kick my butt."

Naruto complained, giving Sakura the reaction she was looking for.

"Well you'll have to prove me wrong."

Naruto beamed.

"I will, just you wait."

* * *

Naruto had his hands behind his head as they made their way to the training grounds.

"Have you ever wondered what Sasuke is doing at the very moment you are thinking about him?"

Darkness engulfed Sakura as his name was mentioned. She and Naruto would usually talk about him but lately they hadn't and she was glad. But now....it seemed like she had to get used to opening up those wounds.

"I think about it all the time. At night I find myself walking to the road leading out of town, hoping that I'll see him walking back." Sakura stated sadly.

Naruto looked at her face. Her green eyes were filled with pain and longing.

_'She really does still love him. Even after all these years of not seeing him and not knowing what he's done...she still loves him.'_

He clenched his hands into fists. '  
_I'm going to bring you back Sasuke. Nothing is going to change my mind...and I will bring you back alive.'_

"I do the same thing, only I go out of the village and start to look."

Sakura's eyes flashed up as Naruto continued.

"Sometimes I think I can feel him nearby...like he's never fully away. It's almost like he can't bear to stay away either. Of course that's nonsense Sasuke wouldn't come back here when he's worried about killing Itachi."

"At times I wonder if it would be smart to go look for Itachi. He could find Sasuke in a blink of an eye. It's almost worth the risk to just be able to see him again."

Naruto glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Itachi would kill us if we showed our faces to him."

Sakura shrugged.

"Ever wonder if death would be better then feeling empty and hollow inside?"

Naruto was alert as he spun around so he was facing Sakura.

"No! And I hope you never think such a thing. Sakura, the only way we can bring Sasuke back is if we're both are alive."

"You could do it without me, Naruto. I'm not that big of an asset. I never was."

Naruto grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"Sakura, I will not let you talk like this. You are an asset and without you I don't think Sasuke will ever come back."

The little light that was in her eyes faded.

"He always hated me Naruto; I was only a bother and annoying."

Naruto let go of her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's not true. He worried about you and if he didn't care about you he wouldn't worry."

Sakura eyes fell downwards.

"He never did worry Naruto. Think about it, when does a time come up when he really worried for me? I can recall times when he worried about you."

Naruto closed his eyes and opened them.

"When you guys were in the forest of death, he was so worried that he wouldn't be able to protect you and that's when he stabbed himself."

"He did that to make it so he wouldn't be caught in the illusion." Sakura shot back.

A small smile came over Naruto.

"Sure that's what he said he did but do you honestly think he was thinking of himself when he did that? I can remember the time with Haku and how he threw himself in front of all those needles so I wouldn't get hurt. He didn't think of himself when he did that. I believe that while you guys were in the forest of Death he was only thinking of getting you back safely."

A small spark of light lit her in ultra green eyes.

_'I hope you're right Naruto...I hope with every fiber in my being.'_

As they entered the training grounds Naruto spun on her with his kunai in his hands. Before he was able to throw them Sakura had thrown a punch at the ground, causing it to become uneven and therefore, causing Naruto to lose his balance.

"Waaaa!" He yelled in surprise.

Sakura smirked up at him from under her pink bangs.

"Need to pay attention to your surroundings."

Naruto grinned at her and that's when she felt a small poke at her back. She looked at sure enough a Naruto was standing behind her with a Kunai pointed in the middle of her back. Sakura did a back flip high in the air, using her Chakra control at her feet.

As she descended towards the ground she threw three Kunai that lodged themselves into Naruto's thighs and right arm. He cringed in pain as they hit him. He could feel the nine-tailed fox trying to break through his resolve.

_'Cool it already! It's just me and Sakura sparring-- that's all.'_

Sakura was by his side before he could blink.

"Oh Naruto I'm so sorry." She said frantically as she pulled the Kunai out of his body one by one. Once they were all out she placed her hands over the wounds and her hands had a light green tint around them.

"You don't need to do that you know." Naruto pointed out.

"I know I don't but his will make it so you heal faster. I don't know what I was thinking when I threw those! It won't happen again..."

"Sakura it's okay really. You got me this time, which is a big improvement." Naruto cut her off.

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he complimented her. They both fell silent as they looked at each other.

"Do you feel that? Or am I just imagining things?" Naruto asked softly.

"I feel it too...but why?"

They both shot to their feet and looked towards the forest of death. Sakura's heart was pounding so hard she thought she was on the verge of having a heart attack. Naruto walked to the chain link fence and put his hand on it.

"Why would we feel him? If it's true why would he be in there?"

Sakura's eyes scanned the area that they could see from where they were standing.

'_Why would he want to go back in there with all the memories that haunt it? Doesn't he know that's where he first got the curse seal? Why...why would you be there?'_

"I'm going after him."

Sakura gasped as Naruto started to ascend the fence. She reached up and grabbed his ankle.

"Naruto you can't! Let's go back to the village to tell Kakashi Sensei then we can figure out what to do from there. You can't go in there alone."

Naruto looked at the trees from over the fence.

_'Sasuke...'_

He pushed away from the fence and did a back flip and landed on his feet behind her.

"Kakashi Sensei will know what to do."

Sakura was relieved as they walked back to the center of the village.

* * *

Why had he come back here after 3 years of being away? He jumped lightly from tree branch to tree branch. The forest of death as they all called it was a place he had to test himself≈to see if he really was ready to leave Orochimaru. He halted in his flight and gazed at the fence that surrounded the forest.

"You two won't find me...I can't let you distract me from my mission."

Red flashed in his eyes through the darkness.

"I won't let you stop me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Well...i don't know if this chapter came out the way I wanted...but i think it's all right...not the best but okay. Again i have to thank my great beta reader Silver, she's amazing!! Got this chapter back to me in three days, not even that since her internet wasn't working on Monday, she's the best and very dedicated. Thank you! I also wanted to thank the people who have reviewed. I noticed quite a few people added the story to favorites and alert but they don't review....sadness. So big, BIG thank you's to those that did. I'm so very grateful to you guys! Here's chapter two, it's a little longer than chapter 1 so enjoy! **

**I think I'll try to update every week, at least until Finals week...at that time it might take me a little longer but hey, i have a few more weeks until that time. :D Thanks again! Please review and tell me what you thought! Lots of Love!! **

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Chapter 2

Sakura woke up with a start. Her breathing was rapid and she was covered in a cold sweat. She put her hand on her temple as she tried to slow her breathing down.

_'Why did that happen?'_

She threw the sheets off her body and placed her feet on the cold floor. The coldness was able to snap her out of the dream she had had.

Shivering from the cold she walked to the dresser that held the picture of Team 7. Her finger traced Sasuke's face.

"I won't ever give up on you...no matter how much you want me too. I will bring you back home."

"Sakura it's time you realized that he may not come back."

She didn't flinch when she heard the voice.

"Kakashi Sensei why are you here?"

"You dreamed of Sasuke didn't you?"

Kakashi responded, cutting right to the chase.

Sakura turned on her heels so she was facing Kakashi. "If I did?"

Kakashi walked to her and took her by the shoulders.

"How do we know if he's trying to contact you? He could very well be trying to get you out on your own so he can make his strike."

"You talk about him like he's a killer! Sasuke wouldn't do that, he wouldn't hurt me!" Sakura urgently whispered.

Kakashi gave her his classic 'you're so stupid' look. Sakura glared at him defiantly.

"I know him Kakashi!"

"You haven't seen him for almost three years. There's no way you could know him."

Kakashi cut her off, a hard look in his eye.

Sakura crossed her arms across her chest.

"Again, I'm going to ask why you're here."

Kakashi let his hands fall down to his sides.

"The hokage put me on watch over you."

Sakura's mouth fell open in utter shock.

"Why do you need to watch over me? I'm not going to run away and never come back!"

Kakashi looked bored as he answered.

"With Sasuke being in the area the Hokage is taking all precautions."

Sakura looked angrily at the floor.

"Do they have someone watching Naruto? Or am I the only one they believe will run out and try to save Sasuke?"

"No, Jiraya is watching over Naruto. He's not very kind about it either--Naruto is...well, not very understanding on the matter."

Sakura tightened her hands against her arms.

"I don't think you guys are very understanding either. Sasuke is one of us and when he's gone....a part of us is gone too."

"What if Sasuke doesn't want to be saved? You can't change someone's mind that doesn't want to be changed."

_'Why in the world is he being so difficult? He used to love Sasuke just as much as we did, if not more. They have a whole lot more in common than me and Naruto do. Why does Kakashi act like Sasuke is the devil? He left for a reason...no matter how dumb the reason was he did it so others wouldn't have to get hurt when they saw him'_  
Her eyes flashed with pain.

_'Even though he took my heart and ripped it out I'm still here for him. I'll wait no matter how long it takes to have Sasuke back. Is that so hard to understand? Yes he's done evil things that if things were different he wouldn't have done, but the fact is things aren't different. He's with Orochimaru to gain enough power to take down his rival, Itachi'_  
"Sakura, we have to protect you from him. You may think he won't do anything to hurt you but we all believe that he wouldn't hesitate to take your life if you got in his way. Normally I wouldn't think you could be so careless but since this deals with Sasuke you are likely to make the same stupid choices Naruto would."

_'She's reacting as if she's still in love with him. When we did the second bell test she showed that she was over that obsession. When I look at her I can see the feelings that she's been harboring deep down inside her heart.'_

Sakura brought her cold, hard gaze up to Kakashi.

"I don't understand why it's so wrong to want to bring him back."

Kakashi sighed heavily when he answered.

"He's not the same boy he was 3 years ago. He's dangerous and is now allied with Orochimaru."

Sakura squinted her eyes shut and shook her head. Kakashi couldn't help but feel worry flood through him as he watched her.

_'He has a strong hold on her. If he ever wanted her for something he'd be able to have her. I have to keep her from him. I have to keep her safe.'_

When she opened her eyes she glared at him.

"You know that you can't stop me if I decide to go after him."

"I'll try."

"Why did you give up on him Kakashi? You cared about him just as much as we did."

Kakashi didn't reply to her question. Sakura grabbed the photo frame and thrust it into his hands.

"Look at how happy you were. You cared about Sasuke; you protected him and guided him. You knew he was stronger than the rest of us and yet you worried about him constantly. I want to know why you've turned your back on him."

She demanded, slightly out of breath.

"I haven't seen you break down and whine like this since you were 13." Kakashi stated plainly.

Sakura bit her lip.

"I care about him so much. I can't stop thinking about the time he left--I should have stopped him,"

Her voice was barely heard.

Kakashi felt slightly out of place as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"I could have said more that could have made him stay...I shouldn't have kept my feelings from him. He left because of how we weren't able to follow him, help he achieve the power he so desperately needed. If I had been stronger, a little stronger he could have stayed here!"

Her body began to tremble as more tears rushed down her cheeks.

"It's my fault he's gone! It's my fault that he's out there doing who knows what to who knows who! I should have stopped him, I should have..."

"...Sakura,"

Her eyes widened when she felt Kakashi's arms wrap around her small frame.

"It wasn't your fault that Sasuke left. He...he just needed to take care of things and he didn't want to bring you down with him."

Sakura smirked as she tried to stop the tear flow.

"Are you defending him now?"

Kakashi grunted.

"Not now."

Sakura buried her face deeper into Kakashi's chest. She couldn't believe how good it felt to be held...to be shown she was cared for. Kakashi looked around the room trying to stop himself from feeling awkward. Once Sakura had stopped shaking he let his arms fall away from her.

"Don't make me do something I don't want to."

Sakura brought her swollen eyes up to Kakashi's. She smiled softly and nodded her head.

"Okay..."

Kakashi patted her head and then turned towards the window, looking over his shoulder.

"I'll be outside keeping watch, you go back to sleep."

Sakura watched as he leapt out the window. She walked back over to her bed and lost herself in the covers.

_'I'm sorry Kakashi...I'm sorry I have to lie to you. Sasuke is here, now, and I'm not going to let this chance escape. I need my Sasuke...'_

* * *

Sakura yawned as she walked down the dirt street. When Naruto jumped from a pole and landed in front of her she nearly fell down. He quickly reached out to stop her from falling.

"Did you have someone watching you all night?"

Sakura covered her mouth while she nodded.

"Kakashi Sensei wouldn't leave me alone. I had a nightmare about Sasuke and he heard me so he was in my room telling me all the reasons why I should just give up on him. Oh, and he also told me that I shouldn't go after him."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Yeah Jiraya was in my room giving me a huge lecture on it too. The thing that really bugged me was we already had that discussion before and he knows how I feel about it."

They began to walk down the street together chatting among themselves when a blonde hair girl came rushing out of a nearby stand.

"Sakura! Is it true that Sasuke is back?"

Sakura turned to look at her friend Ino.

"Uh...we felt his chakra yesterday--so far we haven't felt anything."

Ino gazed at Sakura as if trying to analyze her.

"You're going after him aren't you?"

Naruto groaned as he put his hands behind his head.

"Yes Ino we're going after him. He's our teammate and there's no way we're going to let this past us by. This is our first chance to see and talk to him again."

Ino rolled her eyes at Naruto.

"I was just wondering is all."

"You were only wondering because you still have a crush on him." Naruto muttered.

Ino turned a deep shade of red as she advanced towards Naruto.

"I do not like him! There's someone else I'm interested in now. Besides the only one that still carries feelings for him is Sakura."

She retorted, pointing to the quite Sakura.

Sakura turned away from the two arguing people and walked down a deserted road. She was careless and didn't pay attention to little details like she knew she should. The only thing she could think about was him and how much she needed him. She ran her hand through her short pink hair.

Ino had grown her hair back after the incident when she cut it but Sakura had decided to keep hers short. He wasn't around to impress anyway so she didn't see the point in having long hair when the one person she wanted to notice it wasn't there.

_'I wish I had gotten over Sasuke. I feel so vulnerable knowing he's here and yet I can't see him. Just feeling him in the area makes me weak inside. He never knew it but he was the strength that held me up when I was younger. I always knew when we got in fights that he would be there to protect me. Now when we get in fights I have to depend on myself, which isn't such a bad thing. I'm glad I was able to grow up and be able to depend on myself. But if I had to choose...between being grown up and with having Sasuke to protect me, I would choose Sasuke'_  
Sakura continued to walk through deserted roads and shops. The sun started to set behind the mountains when she realized how late it really was. She bit her bottom lip as she looked up at the sky.

"Naruto is going to freak when he can't find me. But it won't take him long to find me, so I shouldn't worry about it."

Her hair blew with the wind when it picked up. She instantly froze in place. There it was again...the familiar, yet not familiar chakra essence.

She lifted her eyes to the roof tops and began to scan them. Could he be here? Was it possible that he wanted to see them as much as they wanted to see him?

* * *

His cloak hid his features from the people in the street. He didn't need the cloak since he was hiding in the darkness anyway but he thought it'd be better to be safe than sorry. The wind picked up around him and a flash of pink caught his eye. He glanced down towards the street to see the one person he had been trying to avoid. She surely would feel his presence.

Her chakra perked up and he knew she felt him. He groaned inwardly as he tried to pull himself away from the situation that was sure to ensue. He was stuck in his place when her green eyes found him. The cloak wouldn't help him now; she could tell it was him even if she hadn't seen him for three years.

Her mouth formed his name as she took a hesitant step towards the place he was at. Sasuke's heart skipped a beat as she jumped in the air and landed softly next to him. Her chakra control had always been amazing, it surpassed his own.

His feet scuffed the roof as he took a few steps away from her. He could clearly read the expressions on her face. This was something he wasn't ready to face.

"S-Sasuke?"

Her voice wobbled with heavy emotion as she spoke.

He didn't respond, which seemed to be the answer she needed. Slowly and unsurely she took a step towards him.

"You could have hid yourself from us--masked your Chakra but you didn't, why?"

"Hn."

Sakura's eyes flashed with familiarity.

"You haven't changed that much obviously, you still answer in grunts and probably one syllable words."

Once again nothing left his mouth. It was better this way, if she didn't have anything to miss when he left. A pain shot through him when he imagined the last time he had seen her. He had caused that pain...the pain that broke her heart and left her empty.

Sasuke took this moment to really look at her. She was taller and much more toned out, probably from heavy training. Her hair was short just like the last time he had seen her. Her face had grown into her forehead and she looked pretty, to put it mildly. Seeing her again after three years stirred something up in him.

_'This is dumb; I promised myself that I wouldn't let them find me. I was foolish to come back here. But--looking at her now I can see something I need. She could become a very good asset to my future...she could even help me get the one thing Orochimaru wants the most...'_

A smirk came to his lips.

"You haven't changed a bit either."

The sound of his voice made her gasp. It was much deeper than when she had last heard him, it just went to show that he was more mature now...more grown up. Her hand flew to her mouth, he cheeks turning a light pink shade.

"Why are you back?"

Sasuke reached up and brought the hood of the cloak down so she could see him more clearly. Sakura's eyes shook with emotion. Sasuke had the same hair style he had before but now he looked older. A few years ago he was good looking and now he was really good looking.

"I came back to test myself--I wasn't planning on running into you but I guess it's happened anyway."

Sakura didn't want to break her gaze but she did. Fiddling with her hands she spoke.

"You're not staying, are you?"

As Sasuke watched her face fall when he didn't answer a pain shot through him, catching him off guard. He gritted his teeth together. He really shouldn't have come back.

"No."

Sakura eyes closed in defeat.

"I knew the answer before you said anything. I just...hoped..." she trailed off.

Sasuke smirked as he walked closer to her.

"It's best if you don't search for me while I'm in the area. Just go home and sleep."

Sakura shot her green eyes up to his black ones. They'd changed so much; they now were cold and hard, no emotion showing. With his hands he pulled the hood back over his head, casting his face in darkness. Turning on his heels he put his back to her. Anxiously she reached out towards him, grabbing his left arm.

"Don't go...not yet."

He stopped moving when she grasped his arm. Her strength had grown since he last saw her.

"Sakura, let me go--you can't save me when I don't want to be saved."

The words were like a slap to her face.

"If I can't save you can't I at least talk to you...for tonight?" Her voice faded to a volume he could barely hear.

His eyes fell to the roof top. Sakura walked closer to him so that she was only a few inches away from him.

"All I want is to talk to you--like it was before."

Sasuke chuckled as he looked at her from over his shoulder.

"How much talking did we ever do? You were always the annoying fan girl that I couldn't stand."

Sakura took a deep breath.

"I've changed a lot since then. I'm not crazy like that anymore."

Sasuke shook his head back and forth.

"Doubt it."

Her left hand clenched into a fist. She could feel the anger start to rise inside of her.

"I'm not that helpless girl I was back then. I can take care of myself now and I don't need everyone protecting me all the time."

He pivoted on his foot so he was facing her. It was interesting to see the anger that was suddenly evident on her face.

"Can you? I'll believe that when I see it."

She let go of his arm and glared at him.

"You've gotten even more arrogant, if that's even possible. No wonder Naruto always wanted to punch your face in."

Sasuke's eyes flashed at the mention of Naruto.

"You don't understand a thing, just like him." He hissed through his teeth.

Sakura folded her arms across her chest.

"Just because you won't tell me, if you'd only let me in I'd know what you were feeling and maybe I could help you."

"Help me? I don't want or need your help. I'm getting all the help I need from Orochimaru."

Sakura turned her head away from him.

"I hate _that_...thing for taking you away from us. It's his fault you left--him and that stupid curse."

Sasuke tilted his head to the left.

"Looks like Kakashi is on your trail. Apparently you aren't very good at hiding your Chakra signature." He taunted.

Sakura whipped her head around so she was looking at him. She was worried about him. Please don't let Kakashi feel him...please keep him safe.

Sasuke turned and fled off the roof. Kakashi landed right in the spot Sasuke was just standing.

"Sakura what in the world are you doing out here at this hour? You know it's not safe to be out on your own this late."

Sakura looked down the road that Sasuke had disappeared down. She sighed.

"I know Kakashi, I'm sorry. Can you take me home?"

They walked in silence back to her parent's house. Kakashi faced her, his arms folded across his chest.

"What exactly where you doing on the roof of that house?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

"I just wanted a better look at the moon, is that so bad?"

Kakashi was about to reply harshly but thought differently.

"All right Sakura. You get inside and get some rest, it's late and you need to sleep. I'll come by in the morning to get you for practice."

Sakura opened her front door and waved good bye to Kakashi as she shut the door. She took the stairs two at a time and ran in her room. She pulled out a bag from her closet and began to fill it with anything and everything she could get her hands on. Her hands shook slightly as she zipped the zipper. She took a last look at her room, she had no idea when she would be coming back. Her eyes fell on the picture that she'd been looking at lately.

"I'm keeping my promise..."

She turned towards her window and pushed it open. She closed her eyes to look for any Chakra signatures nearby. When she couldn't feel any she jumped out the window and landed lightly on the balls of her feet. Sprinting down the road she made it to the spot where she and Naruto had felt Sasuke the day before. The cold metal bit into her hands as she climbed up the fence. She swung her feet over the side and the wind caught in her hair as she fell to the ground.

Her hands touched the ground as she landed. Looking up at the massive trees she smiled.

_'Now it's time we played hide and seek Sasuke. I'm **gonna **find you.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Naruto ran down the street, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He'd just finished looking for clues as to where Sakura had gone. How is it possible that they had no leads to where she disappeared to? There had to be clues she left behind, or something.

_'Why would she just leave like that?'_

He skidded to a halt. His eyes flashed to the training grounds they were together at a few days earlier.

_'She started to act really funny when we both felt Sasuke's Chakra...is it possible she went in there alone?'_

Shaking his head he continued to walk.

_'Sakura isn't that desperate...wait, of course she is.'_

He spun around and ran to the fence. If Sakura really was in there alone he needed to get to her and fast. He was about to throw himself over the fence when her words filled his mind. It would be faster if he had someone helping him. Naruto clenched his hands into fists as he forced himself away from the fence.

"Why would you go in there alone?"

Naruto found Kakashi Sensei sitting under a tree reading "Make out Paradise".

"Kakashi Sensei Sakura is--"

"Gone, I know. She left in the middle of the night."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't you stop her then?"

Kakashi flipped the page, uninterested in Naruto.

"Because she was very determined to find him even when I told her it wasn't a good idea."

Naruto had to hold back the urge to hit him.

"You know she can't survive in there alone. She's so...fragile."

Kakashi closed the red book to look up at Naruto.

"Sakura is a strange character. She can be all crybaby one moment and the next, she can totally blow you away with her power. I think she'll do well chasing after Sasuke, besides, I was going to go after her in a few hours."

Naruto gazed up at the tree leaves that flowed with the soft wind.

"I know she's strong, but when it comes to Sasuke she--freezes up. I'm afraid of what could happen to her if he decides she's annoying."

Kakashi shrugged indifferently.

"She knows of the risks, I'm surprised you aren't in there with her. Now it seems like you've grown up."

Naruto's blue eyes bore into Kakashi's.

"Sakura has grown a lot since I've left. I feel as if I'm still so far behind. She..."

"She means a lot to you. But you do realize her heart lies with Sasuke, even if he doesn't want it," Kakashi bluntly stated.

Naruto looked away and towards the ground. His blue eyes saddened as he remembered back to his younger days.

_"Hey, are you okay? You big chicken?" His voice taunted lightly._

_Naruto began to shake with anger. 'I'll never let anyone protect me again. I will be better than Sasuke!'_

Darkness covered his eyes as he spoke, "He's always been better than me, and always been the one that Sakura worried about -- cared about the most."

Kakashi's eye perked up.

"And yet you still want to bring him back? You still want to save him?"

The darkness never left his face.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Naruto paused, "Because he's my brother."

* * *

Sakura wrapped her arms around the tree she was in. She had been searching for Sasuke for hours. The longer she looked and ended up with nothing the faster the others were going to find her. Her green eyes flashed to the branch above her. There, about to fall, was a leech. She reached for her Kunai and thrust it up into the middle of the creature. Moving out of the way as it fell she sighed.

_'I guess it's a good thing I'm here too; I can finally see how strong I've become.'_

A crack sound came from below her. He green eyes glanced down. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. Biting her lip she thought of all the possible things that could be down there, waiting for her.

* * *

Sasuke leaned casually against the tree that was next to the one Sakura was in. He had been following her for hours, analyzing her every move. She had changed immensely since he left. She now had purpose in the way she did things. It appeared she was reaching to aim some goal that she'd set for herself.

_'Wonder what that could be. The only goal she ever seemed to have was to impress me.'_

Sasuke went rigid when he sensed danger that was closely approaching. His eyes scanned the area from the tree tops and then he looked back to Sakura. Could she protect herself against whatever was coming?

He frowned when his old feeling of protectiveness came over him. His grip on the tree branch tightened. He left the group for that one sole reason, so he wouldn't have to deal with the fact that when he was with them the urge to protect them came over the urge to kill his brother. It was the very distraction he didn't need.

A chakra surge caused him to fade back into the darkness of the trees. There was a ninja closing in fast, a ninja that seemed very powerful by his chakra signature. He couldn't stop the smirk from coming over his lips.

_'You better be able to protect yourself Sakura...I'm not in the mood to come to your aid. Let's see how much you've truly grown since the time I left.'_

* * *

The dazzling green eyes widened as she felt the chakra signature approach. Without moving her head she began to scan for anything that could help her. She held her breath as she decended from her spot in the tree. Her eyes flashed towards the north into the darkness. Chakra began to build up in her fist as she searched for the person that was walking towards her.

The man stepped out into the light, making himself visible to her eyes. Sakura gasped as she faltered in her steps.

_'I know that face...I've seen him before--back a long time ago, in these very woods.'_ She gulped as he brought his snake like eyes to rest on her.

"It's been a long time; I see you haven't gotten over that little infatuation with my Sasuke."

_'His Sasuke...the boy he ripped away from us. The boy he ripped away from me.'_ Her eyes hardened at his words. Drawing a Kunai she shifted her posture, muscles ready to spring at the slightest movement from him.

"Curious that he no longer has any feeling for you, how does that make you feel? He's the one that's leaving you to your death."

Sakura's eyes slanted downward.

"What do you mean by that?"

Orochimaru laughed, causing her to flinch.

"The one thing that Sasuke has been able to master is the control of his feelings, or in other words, the lack thereof. For all you know he could be watching this with a sick grin spread across his face and he would never move to help you. He'd just sit by and watch as the young girl he had once almost given his life for die and he wouldn't even blink."

Chills ran up Sakura's spine as Orochimaru talked. Could it be possible that Sasuke had turned into the monster he described? Could Sasuke really aim so low to achieve his goal for killing Itachi?

Her lips turned up into a smile.

"Sasuke wouldn't stand by and let you inflict harm on someone that has nothing to do with your plan."

"If you are correct then why isn't he here? Sakura, Sakura, you do have a part in my plan, a very important role in fact." Orochimaru chimed.

Sakura's insides clenched in fear, she covered the fear with a mask of confidence.

"I won't become a part of your evil doings." She hissed through her teeth.

Orochimaru cracked his knuckles against his palms.

"Then I have no choice but to make you."

Chakra whirled around her fist as she prepared herself for the charge. Her eyes never moved away from Orochimaru, when she blinked he was gone. Nerves began to rise in her throat.

_'Where did he go? He couldn't have just left--no, he's out here waiting to make his strike.'_

She began to scan the area in search for the evil man, if you could even call him that. She cringed when she felt someone drop down behind her. She turned just enough so she could see who it was. Her eyes shook with emotion as she saw the familiar figure standing in front of her.

"S--Sasuke?"

He smirked at her and then raised his hand and before she knew what was happening he smacked her in the back of the neck, causing her world to fall into blackness.

Orochimaru appeared as Sasuke scooped Sakura's limp body into his arms.

"I could have done that myself."

Sasuke didn't say anything as he let his eyes fall down on Sakura's face.

"You need her, if you would have attacked her you would have hurt her, possibly killed her."

Orochimaru smirked, "It appears that there might be another reason why you stepped in."

Sasuke glared in his direction.

"There was no other reason. She means nothing to me, which is why I told you about her. You can have her for your purpose and then get rid of her if you so please."Each world that left his mouth was full of venom.

Orochimaru folded his arms across his chest as he studied Sasuke.

"You have grown strong Sasuke, now there is little left to do, but there is a few more things you must learn before I can--take what is rightfully mine."

Sasuke clenched his jaw then turned around and began to walk deeper into the forest, Orochimaru following closely behind him. Sasuke couldn't help but look back down at her soft, pale face.

_'You should have listened to me when I told you not to follow me. But you did just as I predicted, and now you have to live your life with him.'_

_

* * *

_**Well there's that chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, please tell me what you thought! I love getting reviews, it just makes my day all happy and shinny. :D Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, I've been having last minute stuff due for classes since finals is coming up in two weeks, so i've had like no time for myself. This chapter didn't really go the way i had expected it to, i was just writing and this sort of came out. Wasn't really what i had planned for the story but i decided to flow with it. If you think the idea is crummy let me know and i can try to change it or make it more interesting. Feel free to give some advice on what you think should happen next and so on. Thanks to all of you that have reviewed. Not many reviews but that's okay. **

**I send out lots of Christmas tree cookies to all of you that reviewed. Thank you so, so, so, much! As always I have to thank my beta reader Silver, THANK YOU! Without you this story wouldn't come out the way i intend it to. **

**Until next week! Toodles.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Panic began to elevate in his chest. They had been searching hours for Sakura and so far there was no luck in finding her.

"Kakashi, I thought you said your dogs would find her in a heartbeat. So far all they've done is declare that she is no longer in Konha." Naruto wailed profusely.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. Everything about this situation was very unnerving. Even Sasuke had dropped out of the village limits, which was not a good sign.

_'Looks like I was right, he was after Sakura, but why? He never wanted anything to do with her, so why take her?'_

"Kakashi Sensei, what are we going to do?" Naruto asked worriedly.

Kakashi sighed as he turned his attention to the blonde haired boy.

"We have no other choice but to report her as a missing Ninja."

"But she wouldn't just leave! She had to have been kidnapped! I'm not going to think that she'd go with Sasuke willingly. All right, she likes him and all that but there's no way she would turn her back on us." Naruto said gruffly while folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm not saying she willingly turned her back on the village, but I am saying that her feelings for Sasuke could sway her in the other direction. Did you ever truly realize how much she cared about him? As I recall she was in love with him before and even after he left the village. That girl has never given up on him, which puts us in a pickle." Kakashi stated as he adjusted his headband to more fully cover his left eye.

Naruto looked behind him once again, wanting nothing more than to see her running up behind him with a big grin spread across her beautiful face.

"Naruto--you need to realize that maybe, just maybe, she isn't coming back."

Naruto closed his eyes in pain as he let the thought wash through him.

_'Sakura never coming back...I can't let myself believe that. No matter what she's always been loyal to the village, and to her friends. Sasuke couldn't have that strong of a hold on her, could he? Why would she drop everything she's ever known for him? I know what it feels like to lose something so precious to you that you're afraid it'll never come back, and yet I'm still here. I'm not running away to get the strength that I think will help me. I can find everything I need here. Why Sakura? Why would you leave me like this? Haven't I been there for you through all the tears and struggles?'_

Naruto winced inwardly. That wasn't true; he left her just after he'd gotten better from his fight with Sasuke. He left her to keep her promise to her to bring Sasuke back. He had to leave to train--to get stronger so he had a fighting chance against his rival.

Turning back towards Kakashi he had the look of utter defeat on his face.

"I'm not going to go after her. At least not yet, I have something to ask though."

Kakashi inclined his head, indicating for Naruto to continue.

"I need you to train me harder than you have before. I need to get that extra strength so when I do see Sasuke I can fight him and win. I'll do anything to get Sakura back."

"Does that mean you'll kill him if it comes down to it?" Kakashi asked thoughtfully.

Naruto bit his bottom lip and clenched his hands into fists.

_"You're the closest thing I've had to a brother, that's why I'm not going to let you give yourself to that creature. No matter what, I'm going to save you, even if that means saving you from yourself."_

Naruto couldn't stop the flash back from happening. He had promised himself that he would bring Sasuke back. Yes, he had promised Sakura as well but he had made a promise with himself that he swore never to break. He brought his blue eyes up to Kakashi.

Kakashi took an involuntary step back from the intense look in Naruto's eyes.

"I _will _not kill him, Kakashi Sensei. Nothing Sasuke does can bring me to kill him. Like I told you before, he's my brother and I won't kill my family."

_'Well, well, it does appear that Naruto has grown up after all. I wonder though, will his compassion be his downfall?'_

"That's fine Naruto, if you insist you wont kill him than I believe you. Now, we can't waste anymore time. We have to get back and tell the Hokage what has happened."

Naruto nodded his head glumly and followed Kakashi out of the forest of death. _'Sakura...please keep yourself save until the time I can come for you. I promise to find you, I promise to save you.'_

* * *

A groan escaped her lips as her eyes started to open. Her head felt like it was going to explode any moment.

_'What happened to me? One second I was waiting for Orochimaru to attack and the next...Sasuke. He, he knocked me out. Why would he want me taken by his master? None of this makes any sense.'_

Sakura slowly sat up, which did not help her head any. She reached up and placed her hand on her forehead.

"Owww."

There was a chuckle from behind her and she gasped as she turned her head quickly. Too quickly, as stars enveloped her vision.

"You shouldn't sit up so quickly, especially after you were knocked out a few hours ago."

She closed her eyes, trying to make the stars leave.

"I don't understand; why would you want him to take me? Why would you let him have me, Sasuke?"

The stars cleared from her vision and she was able to see Sasuke huddled in the darkness a few feet away from where she was sitting.

He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders.

_'No answer, just like him. He's really starting to get on my nerves.'_ Sakura fumed.

"You know what? You're just totally full of yourself aren't you? I can't believe I let myself think that you were still the same boy I knew back when you were with us. You have no feelings at all, just as he told me you didn't."

Sasuke pushed himself from the wall and walked towards her. Her words affected him in a way he wasn't familiar with. She cringed away from him as he came near her. The look in his eyes must have expressed the feelings that were clashing inside him.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." He hissed.

Sakura was scared by the way his eyes flashed with emotions she had never seen before. She brought her knees up to her chest and held them tightly against her.

"What did he do to you?" She whimpered, trying hard to control her emotions that were waging out of control.

Sasuke smirked at her question.

"He helped me to become stronger, helped me to realize how futile it was for me spending so much time with you three as I did."

Each word he said was like a slap to her face.

"Not to mention he's taught me a lot of what it means to be a full ninja. You wouldn't believe the things he's taught me."

"I don't want to know." She whispered.

Sasuke saw how the light from her eyes began to fade away. A part of him found that unnerving. He'd never seen Sakura so...defeated before. He quickly shook his head and pushed those feelings away; locking them back in the spot he created for them.

"Hmnh," he turned his back to her, walking away from her.

She hid her eyes from the darkness that was sure to wash over her once he left her alone.

"By the way," Sasuke said over his shoulder, "Orochimaru will be seeking you out soon. Don't keep him waiting."

Sakura lifted her head to look at him; she looked back down at her knees when his eyes met hers.

"What is he going to do with me?"

_'She's vulnerable right now--I haven't seen her like this since...'_ He rubbed his forehead to stop his train of thought.

"Probably something you won't think is very pleasant."

Sakura became numb.

_'He's going to hurt me...he's going to make me do things with him...I can't--this isn't right. Why Sasuke? Don't leave me to this--creature!'_

She so desperately wanted to scream out to him but she bit her tongue. Already she was beginning to form plans in her mind, ways to get out of this situation that she was placed in.

Sasuke could read the look on her face.

"You aren't going to be able to get away. He's a lot stronger than you and he can make you do anything."

Sakura's eyes hardened as he spoke. She brought her eyes up to look at him.

"I'm not going to stay here like a whimpering child."

"Ironic, since you were just doing that." Sasuke commented with a slightly humoring smile.

Heat raised on her cheeks. There was no way she was going to let him see her like that again. No longer would he see the sad little girl that he had become so accustomed too.

"Just get out and leave me alone!" she snapped, her eyes blazing.

Sasuke's smirk grew wider.

"All right, have _fun_." Then he turned and was gone. Sakura immediately felt the coldness that soon washed over her. She had to stop this infatuation she had with him, it was too dangerous to carry those feelings with her. He had been the reason why she let her guard down, that was a mistake she wasn't going to make again.

Just then the door swung open and shut again. Sakura's heart rate began to race as she realized there was only one other person it could be.

"Don't you look just as lovely as ever?"

Chills ran down her spine as the face that went with the voice appeared in front of her. She pulled her knees closer.

"And you look even more attractive when you are frightened. Tell me, did Sasuke scare you? He's clearly changed, hasn't he?"

_'Just don't answer him, don't look him in the eyes. He can't make you do anything as long as you don't respond to him.'_ Sakura chanted her herself.

Orochimaru snickered as he watched the emotions come over the pink haired girl's face.

"He doesn't have any feeling at all. In fact when I passed him in the hall he told me to have fun and not to hold anything back. Did you say something to irritate him? I haven't had him so...understanding before. Usually he hates it when I do this." He said thoughtfully.

Sakura unwillingly brought her green eyes to rest on Orochimaru's face. Had he just said that Sasuke doesn't like whatever he does? Maybe...just maybe there was hope.

_'No! Get that out of your head. Sasuke is long gone and there's nothing you can do to bring him back. The Sasuke you knew is no longer there...he's dead, gone, never coming back.'_

Orochimaru raised his hand and reached out to touch her. She pulled away from him, not wanting any part of his icky body coming in contact with her.

His eyes flashed with anger and then quickly faded away.

"There is two ways we can do this. You follow my demands or, I'll take it from you."

Sakura glared at him. He really had the nerve to threaten her. How dare he?!

"You keep your slimy hands to yourself, you snake!"

Orochimaru sighed, "Oh well, I tried."

Then he lunged at her and caught her in his arms, making it so she had no way to move.

"Let's see, I should save myself from that super strength of yours so," he caught hold of her right wrist and snapped a metal bracelet around it. Sakura gasped as it began to glow a pale shade of green. All the energy she had seemed to fade away.

_'He's taking all my chakra...this isn't good.'_

"I'm sure you know what is happening, you are a medic after all. This is a new invention Sasuke helped me with. Although, he doesn't even know how to get it off. I'm the only one that knows how to remove them."

Sakura glared up into his evil, snakelike eyes.

"You're eyes are very beautiful." Orochimaru purred as he allowed his hands to roam over every curve of her body. Sakura thrashed against him, trying to get him away from her. But all it seemed to do was make him press himself against her more harshly.

_'Great, knowing my luck it's turning him on even more.'_ Sakura groaned.

Orochimaru caught her completely off guard as his lips smashed against hers. Vomit wanted to come out of her mouth but she wasn't able to throw up. Everything about the way his lips meshed against hers made her sick.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she stopped fighting.

* * *

Sasuke swung his leg off his bed, not really caring about what was going on down the hall. At least, that's what he was trying to convince himself of. Why did he care if Sakura was one of Orochimaru's pets? He hadn't seen her in years and he certainly didn't have any feelings for her. Maybe it was the whole idea that she was becoming one of those girls Orochimaru kept around for his own sick pleasure. Yes, that was what was bothering him the most.

There were a lot of things that didn't bother him but the fact that Orochimaru kept women around to mess with was one thing he never was able to accept.

His door opened and Orochimaru stood in the doorway.

"Well that was rather exciting."

Sasuke lazily brought his onyx eyes to meet Orochimaru's. Sasuke noticed the sick grin that was spread across his face. Something about it made him want to punch the day lights out of him.

"Do you think she's the one?"

Orochimaru let his smile fade into a frown. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest.

"I believe that she has a good chance of being the one I've been looking for, which means we're going to have to change her to our side."

Sasuke stiffened.

"We? I never said I'd help you more than get her here."

Orochimaru smiled, "You will help me Sasuke, amazingly after all the things you've done to her she still cares about you. Why she even bothers is beyond me, as it is, she still cares about you deeply."

_'Not after what you did to her.'_ Sasuke thought as he looked back up at the ceiling.

"I don't care about her petty feelings for me. Those feelings make her weak, causing her to lose her focus."

"This is why you will be the one to help train her, help her to become stronger. You will change her; she needs to be as evil and contorted as you." Orochimaru explained with a wave of his hand.

Sasuke's jaw clenched. There was no way he could train her, if anything he needed more training.

"Of course you will get trained even more by doing this. Don't you think I forgot about your little revenge you want to seek. I will continue to teach you and the fighting with Sakura will help you practice the skills I will be teaching you." Orochimaru continued easily. "Anyway, I will leave you, I'm rather tired. In a few hours you will be the one to retrieve Sakura from her room. Please make sure she wears the cloths I bought for her that are in the closet. She really needs to learn to follow orders. You may threaten her if necessary." Orochimaru said off handedly.

When Sasuke didn't answer he smiled. Then without another word he turned and left Sasuke alone with his thoughts.

_'She deserves what happened to her. I told her not to follow me, why didn't she listen?'_

Because she has feelings for you, a small voice whispered in his head. Sasuke shook his head.

_'She needs to lose those feelings for me. If anything Orochimaru will get them out of her, and it will be the best thing for her.'_

Sasuke sat up; running his hand through is spiky hair. Slowly he got off the bed and walked to the wall that held all his weapons. Could he really see Sakura holding these, wielding them at her command? A chill ran down him involuntary. No, Sakura was too nice, too innocent to use these. She was never one for fighting...always in the background protecting their charge, she never really wanted to take part in the fight.

Sighing he traced his fingers against the cold metal of one of the weapons. Having Sakura here, just down the hall from him, was causing him unease. He never felt like he had to protect someone here before. Everyone at the Sound village was evil, all having their own agendas to attend to. No one ever treaded across his path though, they were all afraid of Orochimaru's successor. They all had good reason to be so but something about the way they followed his orders without complaint made him nervous.

It annoyed him to no end. There was no one here willing to give him a fair fight when it came to training. They were all afraid that if they did anything to hurt him that they'd lose their life's. Turning his back to the weapons he walked to the door. He leaned his head against the door, collecting himself and his thoughts. Sakura wasn't going to be a pretty sight when he saw her. He had to prepare himself for the worst. Turning the door knob he walked out and shut it behind him.

Sakura looked up from the darkness as he entered the room. She was huddled in the black blanket that was thrown over her bed. Her hair was tangled and matted and her eyes were dead. Sasuke shut the door behind him and stood there, just gawking. The change in her appearance was vital.

"What do you want?" she accused flatly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he forced himself to walk to her small form. He looked at the ground and saw her cloths scattered and torn. Her gaze followed his and she shuddered. Sasuke's eyes flashed red for an instant as his fury erupted inside him, but just as quickly as it came it was gone. His Sharingan was put back behind his black eyes.

"Orochimaru told me I had to get you ready for whatever he has planned for you." His voice was emotionless as he spoke.

Sakura squirmed when she heard the name he spoke.

_'I don't want to see that bastard ever again.'_

Sasuke saw the hate that filled her eyes. He smirked as he walked to the closet and began to sort through the cloths that filled it.

"It's good that you hate him, you'll need that hate to survive."

Sakura was startled as she looked at his back. Hatred, the thing that she shouldn't allow herself to feel especially in this place, with these people.

He came back with black material in his hands. His eyes fell on her bare shoulders as the blanket fell down slightly. He noticed the faint marks of fingers and claws that were now beginning to show. He had to fight back the urge to throw up everything he had just eaten. Sakura looked up innocently at him, startled again by his reaction. Then her eyes turned hard.

"You could have stopped it from happening, and all you did was hide away in your little hole until it was finished. You're stronger than him, you could have stopped him from..." She trailed off not trusting her voice to continue.

Sasuke glared down at her.

"I'm not your protector anymore, I haven't been for years. Why would you expect me to protect you from the man that is training me? He's the one that wants you and he can have you."

She turned her head away from him sharply.

"Besides, weren't you the one telling me in the village that you didn't need protection anymore? That you were strong enough to take care of yourself?" Sasuke taunted.

Sakura held up her right wrist to show the bracelet that still was faintly glowing.

"I _can _protect myself but not when he's forcing my chakra to be sealed." She snarled, rage completely taking over her face.

Sasuke found himself smiling at her rage. This was a side of Sakura he'd never had the pleasure of seeing.

"Apparently you can't. You didn't stop him from putting that on you; therefore, you cannot protect yourself."

Sakura glared up at him, her grasp on the blanket tightening.

_'He's so arrogant! Look at him just smiling like everything is all fine and dandy. How dare he? He has no reason to be smiling, I want nothing more than to smack that smile right off his face.'_

She let go of the blanket with her right hand and swung herself up and around him, all this happened in about a second and it took him less than that to have her back on the bed with him on top of her, pressing her into the mattress, making it so she couldn't move from his body weight.

"You're easy to read, and I wasn't even using my Sharingan." Sasuke stated amused.

Sakura snarled as she struggled to get out from under him.

"One day I'm going to smear that smile off your face." She vowed.

"Hmph."

She groaned.

"Now you're going back to sounding like a mumbling idiot."

Sasuke pulled away from her like she instantly burst into flames. His glare was full of hatred and Sakura couldn't help but feel a part of her break by the way he was looking at her. Her eyes never backed down, the hardness never leaving.

"Get dressed," he said harshly as he threw the clothes at her. They were about to smack her in the face when she caught them in her arms. That's when she noticed that her whole chest was showing. Sasuke didn't seem to notice though; he just turned around and stormed out of the room, leaving her alone again. A blush crept onto her cheeks.

_'I was naked in front of Sasuke; he was on top of me...Wow.'_

She shook her head. How could she think anything like that with him? She had just been completely violated by Orochimaru; she shouldn't want anything to do with men. And yet, she couldn't help but remember the electricity that fired through her as his body was pressed against hers. The blush deepened as she started to get dressed in the little clothing that Orochimaru had picked out for her.

She sighed as she looked down at herself. The black material clung to every curve she had, making it intensify the outward look. The neck line was low but not so low that her breasts were falling out, but low enough that she could move her neck freely. The skirt she was wearing was loose and only came down to mid thigh, underneath it she wore black spandex that she found in one of the drawers off on the side of the wall.

She glanced around the room wondering what shoes she was supposed to wear. She walked over to the closet and gasped at all the clothes that came into view. There were so many, most were black but there were some red ones along with pink.

_'At least I have enough clothes to wear. But that must mean--he must plan on keeping me for a while.'_

There was a knock at the door, causing her to fall back against the wall. The door opened slightly and Kabuto stepped inside.

"I'm the one that is to bring you to Orochimaru. We also have to do some medical tests to see how your body is doing."

Sakura took a deep breath.

"So you mean something bad could happen to me with Orochimaru taking advantage of me?"

Kabuto smiled evilly as he advance towards her, offering her his hand. She looked at him skeptically before giving in and allowing him to take her by the hand.

"There are many things that can happen with you being...involved with him. His body isn't like the regular human body, it is very complex and I suppose could cause some...discomfort." Kabuto explained as he led her down the hallway.

Sakura couldn't help but look at her surroundings, while she was doing so she thought of ways she could get out of here, getting back to Naruto and Kakashi Sensei.

"I'm sure it wasn't very pleasant for you the first time he went inside you. I need to check to make sure everything is all right."

That sent goose bumps down Sakura's arms. Why in the world would he want to check her? Why would he care? Unless there was a reason why, what could Orochimaru want from her?

"Needless to say, I won't cause you any harm."

_'If I do then I'm sure to have my neck snapped before I can even blink' _Kabuto thought darkly.

Sakura didn't trust him but she had no choice but to try. She was the one that was captive after all; her live might depend on her obedience.

They turned into an open corridor that was a bit chilly. Sakura shivered slightly at the cold but otherwise didn't let it affect her. Her blood froze when she saw the man she hated more than anything sitting in a chair, looking at her.

"You look..." he trailed off as he licked his lips, "Absolutely delicious."

Sakura turned her eyes away from him and saw Sasuke leaning causally against the wall to Orochimaru's right. Her heart started to pound in her chest as she gazed at him. Even though he was changed and not the same boy he used to be she couldn't help but feel pulled to him. Everything about him caught her in his trap. She shook her head trying to get herself back. Orochimaru followed her gaze and smirked.

_'Just as I thought, she still cares about him. I wonder if she'll feel the same once they start training together.'_

"I called you here to give you some information. You will be trained in my arts. You will learn all I have to give and you will use it when you are faced against an opponent."

Sakura looked at him like he was going nuts.

"I will never become one of your henchmen. In fact, I might murder you while you sleep, you vermin." She growled as her hands went into tight fists.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at her bold statement.

"Then the bracelet stays on. There is another thing I should tell you about it, once it absorbs all your chakra it will start to take your life force. Meaning, if it's left on long enough you will die."

Sakura stiffened as she realized what he was saying. This invention of his was truly evil; everything about it should be destroyed.

"If you agree to become one of us I will switch your bracelet for this one here." He indicated with a lift of his hand. In his hand was a similar one to the one she wore but it was smaller and seemed to weigh less. "This one will only control your chakra, nothing else will happen to you while you wear it. Once I'm satisfied that you won't leave I'll take this off as well."

Sakura bit her bottom lip. She could never give in to this plan; she couldn't become one of the people he used to do his evil work. And yet, the offer seemed so tempting.

"Can I...have a little while to decide?" she asked softly, not meeting his eyes. Orochimaru smiled at her.

"Why of course you can. In the meantime I want you to watch Sasuke train. You can learn a lot from just observing."

Sakura nodded her head.

_'Anything just let me out of this room and away from him.'_

"Kabuto, take her to her medic checkup and then to the trainer grounds where Sasuke will be. Do not take long though; Sasuke doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Sasuke grunted from the wall and Sakura looked at him. He seemed so stern, so...mindless. Of course she knew that wasn't true; there were probably tons of things going through the darkness of his mind. She turned at the slight pressure that was inflicted on her back. Kabuto was pulling her towards the way they had entered. Sakura followed him back to the place she assumed was his medical study.

"Sit there."

He pointed indicating to a small bed that was in the middle of the room. Sakura pulled herself up on it and winced as she sat down.

"Looks like your sore in that sensitive area." Kabuto stated.

"Really? I didn't notice." Sakura answered sarcastically.

Kabuto had to fight back the urge to laugh. He began the inspection and Sakura clenched the paper that was lining the bed. She snapped her eyes shut as his hands touched her, prodding her. Once it was done she pulled her clothes back on. Kabuto was washing his hands.

"Well it seems like nothing is wrong, which is a good sign. Perhaps you'll last longer than the other ones."

"Other ones?" Sakura questioned.

Kabuto looked back at her and shrugged.

"It's not my place to explain things to you. You can either ask Lord Orochimaru or Sasuke."

Something flashed across her face when he mentioned Sasuke's name. Kabuto awed at it.

"So I see it's true. You do have feelings for the scum."

Sakura felt her protective side start to take over.

"You shut your mouth; you have no right to speak of him that way." She snarled.

Kabuto smiled as he dried his hands.

"On the contrary, I have all the right to speak this way. He's the one that took my place; I was supposed to be the next successor for Lord Orochimaru. Then the Uchiha got in the way." His glasses flashed from the light, hiding his eyes from her.

Sakura finished putting her boots on and placed her arms across her chest.

"I'd like it if you took me to Sasuke now."

Kabuto walked towards the door, expecting her to follow. She had to run up to catch up with him. While they walked through the hallways she pushed closer to him. There were a lot of Sound Ninja that were looking at her, staring at her, like she was something to devour. Once started to reach out to her as they reached what she thought to be the training ground. She tried to pull away when another hand shot out and smacked the Ninja's hand away.

"You touch her and you'll have to deal with Lord Orochimaru."

The ninja glared at the person standing next to her and then quickly left the area. The hand reached out and patted her shoulder.

"You'll get used to all the...animals."

Sakura sighed in relief as she let herself realize that she was finally safe. As long as Sasuke was nearby no one would dare touch her. Kabuto was still standing there, glaring at the Uchiha.

"You can leave now; we no longer have any use for you."

"Careful Uchiha, I might sneak up on you while you sleep." Kabuto threatened. Sasuke looked like he was bored as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Good, it'd give me something to do."

Kabuto stormed off down the way they had just recently come. Sakura looked down at her hands while Sasuke started to head to one of the training machines.

"He didn't hurt you did he?"

Sakura was shocked that he was talking to her. She fumbled anxiously as she ran to keep up with his big strides.

"N-No. He just...well its uncomfortable having someone touch and prod you with instruments that you know they shouldn't."

Sasuke turned on eye towards her and then looked ahead of him again.

"At least there's nothing wrong with you, you should be happy."

Sakura looked back down at the bracelet that was slowly started to dull from the glowing it was doing.

_'My chakra is almost out...I have to make my choice soon, otherwise I'm going to be feeling sick.'_

Sasuke followed her gaze and reached out to grasp her right wrist.

"You don't have much time, what are you going to choose?"

Sakura moved her right foot in the dirt.

"I don't know...what do you want me to choose?"

Sasuke snorted as he let her arm drop from his grasp. Sakura rolled her eyes and then crossed her arms.

"Would you kill me if I stayed?"

Sasuke didn't answer as he pulled his sword out of its holder. Sakura couldn't help but take a step back as lightening began to go down the blade.

"Are you doing that?"

"Hmph."

"Wow...that's amazing. What else can you do?"

Sasuke glanced at her and quickly looked away.

"Things that would make you tremble I'm sure."

Sakura set her mouth in a thin line.

"Bastard." She muttered darkly under her breath.

Sasuke swung around on her, catching her shoulders in his hands. Sakura squirmed slightly at the feeling of the electricity running through her body.

"Shut. Up."

Sakura looked him defiantly in the eyes.

"Why? Because it hurts your manly ego?"

Sasuke shoved her away from him; she noticed that he didn't use all his strength to do so. He turned his aggression to the person that was slightly shaking with fright. Sasuke raised his hand and motioned for the guy to attack him. The ninja set his eyes and flung himself at the Uchiha. Sasuke was quick as he dodge the head on attack and pushed the man to the side, much harder than he did with Sakura. The ninja stood back up and charged up his Jujutsu, which caused for everything in the room to explode with sound waves. Sakura covered her ears with her hands as she fell to the ground. She wasn't the one doing anything, so why was she being punished too?

Sasuke materialized behind the ninja and placed his hands on the ninja's neck. The electricity began to flow through his hands and into the man's head, causing him to go into shock. The noise stopped abruptly and Sakura looked up from the spot she was kneeling. Sasuke glared down at the now passed out ninja.

"Worthless. Pathetic."

"Why is it when you're the one attacking someone I'm always the one that gets hurt too?"

Sakura asked as she felt the blood running down from her earlobes. Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts by her voice. He walked over to her and knelt down beside her, examining her ears with a turn of her head in each direction.

"You'll be fine, he didn't have it activated enough to damage you."

Sakura's skin tingled from his contact with her skin. A bang came from the entry way and Sasuke snapped himself away from her. She slowly rose to her feet to see the most hated man stride into the room. His eyes landed on the ninja and tisked.

"And I really thought you'd be a challenge for him, apparently I was wrong. Now," he turned his attention back to the pink haired, green eyed girl in front of him, "What is your choice? The bracelet will start to take your life force in a few minutes, now is the time to make your decision."

Sakura twisted her fingers together as she contemplated.

_'I could always say I'll do it, and then by the time I really learn anything Kakashi Sensei and Naruto will find me and get me away from here. But--what if they don't find me in time? Could I really live with myself if I lost my humanity?'_

She gulped as she cleared her throat to answer. She glanced at Sasuke who seemed indifferent and then back to Orochimaru.

"I..."

* * *

**Sooo....as you can see I have the newest chapter finished. I was not planning on having it done this quickly. But once i started writing on Sunday I just couldn't stop myself. I even put off homework so i could get all my thoughts down on Word. It was really annoying but I really like how this chapter turned out. I'm so sad...only like 3 people reviewed the last chapter... :( Oh well, hopefully more people start to read. I'll give you all chocolate chip cookies!! Yes, yes! **

**I wonder what Sakura will choose...hmm...will she stay with Orochimaru and risk the chance of losing herself along the way, or will she perish...or at least think she will??? So many choices...I can't help but wonder...**

**Guess you guys will have to wait until next chapter to find out. HAHAH, don't you all love cliffhangers. Personally they aren't my favorite but I just couldn't resist with this one. I have no clue when I'll have the next chapter up. this one by far has probably been the longest, when i wrote it in word it was 14 pages alone, so yeah. I have finals coming up next week so i really should focus all my free time on studying...but i don't know. If the story wants to be written I can't stop myself from writing it. Reviews help me write faster! ;) **

**Once again I've got to thank my most awesome beta Silver. I sent this chapter to her today and she got it back to me by tonight. Which is totally awesome! Thank you! She gets lots of Kuddos. :D :D **

**And I want to thank all you reviewers. Without you guys i don't know if I'd be able to finish this story. Thanks so much for using your time to read this story, it really makes my day. Give me advice on things, anything! Well this is all for now, i really need to do my math homework. I hoped you enjoyed! C'mon press the review button down at the bottom of the page, you know you wanna. ;) **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I..." she gulped again as she began to feel weak. She looked down and saw the bracelet was now glowing a light pink.

"Not much time left." Orochimaru chimed.

Sakura bit her lip as she fought with the impulse to scream 'no' at the top of her lungs.

"Yes...yes I'll stay here...and train."

Sasuke stiffened slightly behind her but she didn/t have the feelings to pay attention. Right now all she cared about was the fact that the room was spinning much too quickly. Orochimaru glanced at Sasuke and noticed how Sasuke's mouth formed a tight line, his jaw clearly clenched.

_'Interesting...It appears that Sasuke hasn't smashed all his feelings after all. Well, it's time we fixed that problem.'_

Orochimaru walked over to where Sakura was now panting on the ground. He could see the light sheen of sweat that covered her face. He reached down and picked up her right arm, the bracelet glowing. She cowered away from his touch. Again, something he would have to fix. He reached out and traced his fingers over the cold metal and it clicked as it opened. Sakura gasped as she felt blessed air rush into her lungs. Orochimaru clasped another bracelet on that was much lighter.

Sakura wouldn't raise her gaze from the ground in front of her. Orochimaru pushed the anger to the side and looked up at Sasuke.

"Take care of her; you need to get her ready for training. And, don't go easy on her."

Sakura flinched as Orochimaru walked away from her. The presence of the person that bent down next to her sent her over. Before she could stop herself she flung her arms around the stiff figure, as she buried her face in his chest she caught his intake of breath.

Sakura bit her lip as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to take over. Sasuke's arms stayed limply at his side. When he knelt down beside her he wasn't expecting this to happen. Orochimaru met his gaze and Sasuke's eyes hardened as he saw the fire that blazed there. Sasuke smirked as he wrapped his arms around the shaking form. Orochimaru sneered at him and Sasuke couldn't help but stare at him all the more.

_'He feels threatened by me, perhaps it's time he realized that he isn't all that much stronger than me.'_ Sasuke thought darkly.

Sakura began to tremble in his arms. He flinched as her hold around his neck tightened, her hands grasping onto the back of his shirt.

_'I hate people being close to me, touching me. So why am I not throwing her off?'_

Orochimaru spun around on his heels and left the room. Sasuke could tell that he was angry, really angry. That's when he heard the first sob leave her mouth. Sakura frowned at herself, she just promised herself that she wouldn't let Sasuke see her weak, and here she was, crying into his chest.

_'I'm crying into his chest...he's holding me, what's wrong with this picture? Sasuke...could you really have feelings buried deep down inside you after all? Is it possible that that little boy I knew so well is still in there? Bursting to come free?'_

She squeaked as she was suddenly picked off the ground. Sasuke had Sakura in his arms and he was walking down the hallways that twisted and turned. He stopped to open a door and the next thing she knew she was placed on a soft surface. He untangled her arms from around him and took a few steps back from her. Sakura looked around her surroundings and realized that she wasn't in the room she had stayed in earlier. She looked up at Sasuke with questions in her eyes.

"This is my room. You're going to stay here until you feel like you're ready to come out and look around." His voice was hard as he spoke. Sakura looked down at her hands, embarrassed by the way she had held onto him.

"Thank you."

The simple remark made his blood freeze over. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. What should he say to that? It had been a long time since someone said anything remotely like that to him. Her green eyes moved up to his black ones. Sasuke clenched his teeth as her gaze seemed to be looking straight through him. It was almost like she was reading his mind, memorizing it. He quickly stole his gaze away from her devastating eyes.

"Sasuke..."

He cocked his head a little to let her know he was listening.

"I--I," she sighed, "I guess it's a lot to ask you to protect me from him, isn't it?"

Sasuke's right hand moved into a fist, Sakura glanced down at his hand, worry evident on her face. When Sasuke brought his face up he was smirking. The coldness returned to his eyes as he spoke.

"You mean nothing to me, Sakura. Orochimaru wants you for his own sick pleasure and there's no way I'm going to stop him from getting what he wants. You're a part of this-- team-- and you need to break all the ties you have back in Konoha. Now that you've agreed to stay here there is no way Naruto or Kakashi is going to find you."

Sakura closed her eyes as her breathing accelerated. Sasuke's words were starting to sink into her system.

_'They'll never be able to find me, especially if Orochimaru doesn't want them too. It's okay Sakura, breath, everything will work out in the end. Nothing to freak yourself out over, Sasuke is just trying to get you riled up.'_

Sakura folded her arms across her chest, opening her eyes.

"I don't give a damn what you think Sasuke. I will never turn my back on the village, unlike you I love the village and will do anything to make sure it's safe."

"Which is why you agreed to work with Orochimaru." Sasuke stated blandly.

Sakura bit her lip, thinking of the next come back. Sasuke's smirk grew as he advanced towards her.

"You see Sakura, you say one thing and yet your actions say another. At least what I say goes along with my actions."

"Well at least I don't act like I have a stick up my--"

Her mouth was covered by his hand, his eyes turning a deep shade of red.

"You really need to learn how to shut up." He snarled darkly.

Sakura stopped herself from pulling away from him.

"You think you scare me but you don't. I'm not afraid of you Sasuke, and nothing you can do can change that."

Sasuke got closer to her, their faces only inches apart.

"You should be. Everything about me should send shivers down your spine."

And shivers where going down her spine, but not because she was afraid of him, but because she realized how close his face was. The warmth of his breath as it hit her face was making her mind swirl in every direction. Her heart began to thump loudly in her chest.

_'He's so close, just a small move from me and our lips would be touching. He's so close...its driving me insane!'_

A blush hinted at her cheeks and Sasuke's smirk grew profoundly. He pushed himself closer only to lean down by her ear.

"Still the same Sakura, you still have your crush."

Sakura stiffened, trying to deny the way his breath against her ear made her feel. He stepped away from her, walking towards his weapon wall.

"When you're ready to train come find me. I'll be in the training grounds."

He didn't wait for her to reply; when she blinked he was gone.

"Jackass," she hissed to the empty room. She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked down at Sasuke's bed. The pillow looked so alluring that she rested her head on it, pulling his blanket up so it covered her slim body.

She breathed in his scent and wasn't surprised by how calm it made her feel. Her eyes closed and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Sasuke beat against the dummy relentlessly. Sweat drenched every inch of his body as his muscles screamed for him to stop. He ignored all pain and continued to push himself farther.

_'Why did Orochimaru have to pick her? Why couldn't it have been any other girl from the village, why Sakura?'_

He punched the dummy extremely hard, causing the head to pop off.

More importantly, why did _he _care?

_'I don't care, it's just having her in this place...she's so fragile, so innocent--she shouldn't be living in these conditions.'_

'You just want her for yourself.' A voice taunted back at him, buried deep down inside him. Sasuke shook his head, trying to make the voice leave.

"I do not. She's...annoying, everything about her, from the way she talks to her ultra pink hair." He muttered profusely.

"Appears to me that you are talking about the certain girl that Lord Orochimaru has his hands on."

Sasuke spun around, his sword drawn and raised to the man's neck. Kabuto held his hands up in surrender.

"Easy Sasuke, it's not like I'm here to kill you or anything."

"Hn."

Kabuto rolled his eyes at Sasuke's non-verbal answer.

"It's going to cause some problems if you have feelings for the girl."

Anger filled Sasuke's eyes as his Sharingan activated.

"I do _not _have feelings for her. If Orochimaru wasn't so insistent on having her I would get rid of her right now."

Kabuto smiled as he watched Sasuke's face.

"Well, you could always change that. All you need to do is show some interest in someone..."

"That's not happening either; the only thing I'm working towards is killing Itachi."

"Ah, but what about your other goal? I believe you know of the one I speak." Kabuto reassured.

Sasuke slowly lowered his sword.

"That is none of your concern."

"Of course not, well, I hope you have fun watching Orochimaru knock up, Sakura, isn't it?"

Kabuto grinned wider when he saw the look of death radiating off Sasuke.

"Tatta." Then he disappeared.

Sasuke ran his hand through his black locks. Things just got entirely more complicated. Orochimaru had some sick plan up his sleeves...something Sasuke had to put an end to.

There was a clinking sound coming from his right, but he didn't even acknowledge it.

"So...what is it that you're supposed to teach me?"

He moved his eye so that the pink haired girl was in his vision.

"Depends, what do you know already?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she put her hands on her hips.

"Let's see, I have really good Chakra control, I can heal people, I know how to use a Kunai," she was marking these off with her fingers.

Sasuke closed his eyes as she continued to rant off the things she knew. This girl was going to drive him insane.

"How bout we start with some things you can do with your chakra."

Sakura beamed her face clearly now in heaven.

"Yes! I'm sure I can do that."

Sasuke grunted as he walked over to her.

"All right, what I'm going to teach you is something that you've probably never thought of doing."

"Like kissing Naruto?" Sakura asked innocently.

Sasuke faltered in his words for a second.

"Uh, sure. Now, I want you to close your eyes and to think of a place you've always wanted to go."

Sakura followed his words and her eyes fell closed.

"Uh, why am I supposed to think of a place I've always wanted to go?"

"Hm, fine think of your room here. When you have the clear picture in your mind tell me.■"

Sakura bit her lip as she tried to imagine the room that she hardly knew. The only room that came in her mind was Sasuke's. Her lips formed a smile.

"Okay."

"Now, I want you to tell me what the room looks like, describe everything that you see."

"Well...there's messy bed on the side of the wall. A weapon rack on the opposite wall..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Is there a reason why you are thinking of my room?"

Sakura tensed, her hands balling into fists.

"I've only seen your room; the room I was in was completely dark." She huffed.

Sasuke shook his head.

"Whatever, keep going."

She kept listing off things that were in his room. Sasuke looked down at his sandals as he began to form a plan in his mind.

"Now, I want you to vision yourself being in that room."

If it was possible Sakura smiled even bigger.

_'This is fun! I get to imagine myself in Sasuke's room. I wonder if it's okay to imagine him with me...'_

"Use your chakra that is flowing inside you and make it take you there."

"Take me there? You mean like teleportation?" Sakura asked, clearly amazed at such a prospect.

"Yes, just like that." Sasuke muttered, his hand resting against his forehead.

_'And here I thought she'd grown up. It appears that only her strength has grown, she's still much like that young girl I knew.'_

Sakura looked for the chakra and felt happy when she felt it sizzling inside her, ready for her to command. Sasuke was standing in front of her just looking anywhere but at her. She reached out and felt her chakra engulf him. Sasuke's eyes flashed up to her. What was she doing? She isn't ready to teleport someone along side with her, it was going to take a lot of chakra to do that. Something she shouldn't be doing in her state.

"Sak.."

He was cut off by suddenly being wheeled out of the training room and into his room. Sakura fell down on the ground panting.

"That...was...weird."

Sasuke looked around and sure enough they were standing in the middle of his room. His eyes turned back to Sakura who was on the floor, not really doing anything to get herself up.

"I was about to tell you not to take me with you. You aren't experienced enough to do it." Sasuke snarled.

Sakura brought her green eyes up so she could see his reaction. He was furious, but not because she did something that he thought was stupid, but because she was able to do it her first time.

"Thanks Sasuke."

Sasuke fell back a step, shocked. He quickly composed himself before he let her see how her words affected him.

"Hn."

Sakura smiled as she tried to stand on her wobbling knees.

"Let's try it again."

Sasuke eyed her, calculating her every move.

_'If she does it again she is sure to have herself passed out for a week, at least.'_

"I can do it again. Just so we don't have to walk all the way back."

Sasuke shook his head as he walked over to her side, grabbing her arm to help steady her on her feet. Without saying a word to her he teleported them back to the training grounds. When he let go of her arm she fell on the ground again, the dirt swirling up around her.

Sasuke walked away from her to retrieve his Kunai he had lodged in the dummies chest. He put the point of the blade on the tip of his index finger.

"Stand up, we're fighting now."

Sakura took a few deep breaths and obliged. As she stood her knees shook, her breathing ragged.

Sasuke tossed her the kunai and she reached out and grabbed it at record speed.

"I don't need to use this; I can kick your butt just with my bare hands."

Sasuke smirked as he stretched his arms.

"Oh yes, I saw you use some of that super human strength, very impressive."

Sakura grinned back in happiness. Sasuke was impressed by her, which never happened. Sasuke moved his feet so he was in the ready position. Sakura mimicked his moves.

"Ladies first."

Sakura's fist began to glow a faint blue as she lunged towards him.

* * *

A figure lurked in the darkness. There was popping sound and a person stood next to him. The man turned his head slightly to let the person know he was listening.

"You were right; there is a part of him, no matter how small, that has feelings for her."

"Kabuto...you realize what this could mean, don't you?" the voice asked.

Kabuto moved his feet nervously.

"Do you really think hed fall for such a thing?"

The snake like eyes roamed to Kabuto's face.

"And why wouldn't he?"

"Well, you know as well as I that taking his revenge on his brother is the only priority. He could care less about a girl, even if she was naked right in front of him." Kabuto answered honestly.

Orochimaru smiled.

"That is a very good point. If he does not do what I think he will then I will simply have to do the thing myself. She is very unique isn't she? You know she could handle it."

Kabuto nodded his head without hesitation.

"She can handle it all right. Her chakra control makes it so she is able to handle any amount of pain. I have high hopes that everything will turn out well."

Orochimaru turned his attention back to Sasuke and Sakura. They were both clashing against each other. He could tell by the strain in Sasuke's muscles that he was holding back, he didn't truly want to hurt her.

"He has too much compassion. We need to smash that out of him."

Kabuto turned his eyes towards the match as well.

"He believes that if they do not interfere with his revenge then he has no reason to kill them."

"Then, we need to make sure they interfere." Orochimaru replied easily.

Kabuto looked at Orochimaru's face as he watched the fight. He then turned his glare back to Sasuke.

_'You took everything from me. Perhaps it's time I did the same. But what to take from a man that has nothing? Something that he will miss dearly.'_

Kabuto couldn't help the smile that left his lips.

"He'll be a worthy host." Orochimaru thought out loud. "He's strong and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty do achieve something he wants."

"Yes, worthy indeed." Kabuto repeated softly, eyes never leaving Sasuke.

* * *

**Shorter than usual but I thought I'd get it out before I really had to start the hard studying. i don't know if that chapter turned out the way I wanted it to...hmm...oh well. It's setting up the foundation for things to come! yay! Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, i really do like reviews! They help me write faster cuz then i know someone is reading this story. I hope you guys liked it. **

**Till next time, tatta!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sakura glared at the small bracelet.

"This thing is sooo stupid! I can't access all my chakra, it's so l-lame!"

She barely had time to roll away from Sasuke's fist.

It had been a few days and they had been training relentlessly. Or at least, Sasuke had been; Sakura, on the other hand, wanted nothing better to do than to just sit around and watch him train. But no, she had to train with him.

"You talk too much."

He huffed as he drove another fist towards her face. Sakura put both hands in front to protect herself. She grabbed onto his hand using her chakra and bent it down towards her side. Her grip on his hand didn't leave.

"Oh c'mon Sasuke you know I'd much rather watch you sweat then having to sweat along with you."

Sasuke used his leg and kicked the side of her face.

_'Wasn't expecting that. This boy can be so--not nice.'_

"Ugh, Sasuke, that was a cheap shot."

Sakura complained as her butt hit the ground with a thud, pulling him down with her. Sasuke barely was able to move so he didn't land on her.

"Why the hell are you still holding onto me?"

He hollered as he tried to prier her hand off his arm. Sakura beamed up at him, clearly happy that she got to him.

"Because I think you deserve to fall every once in a while. You're always the one still standing when we're sparring so I thought it'd be a good twist."

Sasuke glared at her as he pulled his arm away from her grasp. Sakura couldn't stop the giggle that left her mouth.

_'It appears Sasuke is really messed up with the fact that I pulled him down with me. I guess he usually doesn't have this happen, it's good for him. He just needs to realize it.'_

"Don't do that again."

He snapped as he dusted the dirt off his cloths. Sakura looked up at him and frowned.

"Well, aren't we mister stick up the ass man."

Sasukes eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

"You're a pain in the ass Sakura."

He grumbled as he began to walk away. Sakura jumped on her feet and chased after him.

"Well, you could always kill me so I don't have to deal with being in this hole. And..." She trailed off, stopping in her tracks. "It would save me from having him touch me every night."

Sasuke instantly stopped walking. His hands balled into fists but he didn't make any move to look at her.

_'Why does she have to bring that up? Why the **hell **do I care? He chose her for his 'plan' whatever that is and there's nothing I can do to change it. I need him still--so I can't ruin my chances for learning more from him. But--she has to deal with it every night. His slimy hands touching her skin, tainting it with his dirtiness.'_

Sasuke began to shake from the anger that was flowing through him. He shook his head as he turned to face her.

"You made the choice to stay here. I won't kill you because you chose this life. So now, deal with it."

Sakura's eyes hardened as she starred him in the eyes. Black clashed with green as neither of them broke the gaze.

"How can you just stand by and let him do this to me? I realize that you don't care about me anymore but there has to be a part of you that hates what he does. Why do you stand by and let him defile women like this?"

Sasuke swung on his heels and began to walk away from her again. Sakura looked down at her dirt stained shoes. The sadness entered her eyes again.

_'There are times when I swear I can see the old Sasuke, times when he doesn't want to be anything but gentle...and then there are times when he can be so cold and...destructive. How could Orochimaru turn him into this...creature? I wish there was some way I could help him realize that he doesnt have to do things alone.'_

Kabuto appeared at her side, causing her to roll her eyes.

"It's time for your daily check up."

"Yeah? We'll tell that to someone who cares." Sakura grumbled.

Kabuto clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"You should be grateful that I'm here to help you heal from the...physical wear."

Sakura gave him a death glare which caused him to smirk.

"Without me you'd probably be in so much pain that you couldn't even walk."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

"Not a bad alternative. That way I don't have to train with mister unemotional."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses on his nose.

"Are you telling me you don't enjoy Sasuke's company? Weren't you one of the many fan girls that chased him around back in Konoha? And now you're telling me that you'd rather be withering in pain than train with him? That's a bit shocking, I must admit."

Sakura turned so her back was facing him.

"You need to stick to your own business Kabuto. I have no reason to talk to you, so stay away from me for a while."

"Ah, the wrath of a woman, truly amazing strength it holds. Fine, but if you don't come to my office by eight then I'll be forced to find you, again."

Without another word he popped and was gone. Sakura sighed as she began to put her feet in front of the other. Her stomach was growling. She made her way to the dining hall and wasn't surprised by the whistles that came her way. Ignoring these she picked up an apple.

Taking a bite out of it a Sound ninja walked up to her. The girl looked like she was about to throw something, her purple eyes blazing, clashing with her shoulder length brown hair.

"So, you're the one that gets to be with Sasuke day in and day out."

Sakura twirled the apple around in her hand.

"And? Don't tell me you're one of the many girls that can't help but drool every time he enters the room. And let me guess, he ignores you or glares at you."

The girl stuck her nose up in the air.

"I'm Ariana and I _know _I could kick your trash all the way back to where you came from."

Sakura sighed as the girl kept talking about how strong she was and bragging about all the missions she had been on and come back from unharmed.

"Great, great, it all sounds fun and exciting but I'm rather hungry and the lunch line is moving, so would you mind watching what's going on in front of you?"

Ariana glared at her and then spun on her heels to walk to catch up to the line. Sakura rolled her eyes as she followed her.

"So, what does Sasuke look like when he's sweating? Is he like totally hot?" Ariana asked behind her hand.

Sakura had the urge to hit her with her apple but she fought it, instead smiling.

"Oh he gets really stinky and he becomes a big pain. He likes to complain a lot, or grunt, and there are times when he gets really scary because the mark on his neck is starting to move..." Sakura stopped herself from talking, taking another bite from her apple.

"Mark on his neck?" Ariana looked confused as she twirled her hair around her finger.

Sakura's eyes widened, apparently the others here didn't know about the curse mark.

"Well...its nothing to worry about, really. It just helps him calm down a little..."

"So then why would it be scary?"

"Because it makes him unpredictable." Sakura answered quickly.

Ariana starred at her for a moment but then shrugged her shoulders.

"All right, I guess I can see why that would happen. I still wish I was allowed to train at the same time he was though."

Sakura listened as she drabbled on and on about how badly she wanted to see Sasuke train.

_'And here I thought girls would notice how cold and mean he was. Apparently looks are all that matters when it come to guys. I can't believe I used to be just like them a few years ago. But back then Sasuke was different, at first I liked him because of his looks and then...while we were training together, I was able to see the real Sasuke. And I couldn't help but fall more in love with him. I hate to admit it to myself but...I've never been able to let him go. It makes me mad to hear girls talk about him like this, how great his body looks and how they all wish he would take their bodies. Sasuke is still Sasuke, he isn't going to be interested in girls when he has a goal to fulfill. I wish I could say my feelings will lessen over time but...let's face it. They haven't left yet so they're probably here to stay. Sasuke will never know that he has a guardian angel. Me.'_

"You know, Sasuke isn't your type." Sakura spoke up, interrupting Ariana's sentence.

"Wha? Of course he is!" Ariana protested loudly.

Sakura rested her two forefingers on her left temple.

"Okay, let me put it this way, you aren't Sasuke's type. So I'd stop daydreaming about him and find yourself someone else who will give you the time of day. Sasuke won't even look at you if you hit him in the face. Just waste your feelings on someone else."

Ariana looked like she could murder Sakura.

"How _dare _you! I'll tear you apart right here in front of everyone!"

Then she flung herself at Sakura. The bracelet stung slightly when Sakura called upon the limited chakra she was allowed. She used just enough to propel herself away from the fist that was coming speedily towards her.

"Ariana, I really don't want to hurt you, so let's just leave each other alone." Sakura expressed calmly.

Fire blazed in Ariana's eyes.

"I don't give a shit what you think! You're going down."

Sakura sighed as she shook her head.

"Fine, but don't cry to me when you can't walk tomorrow."

That only caused the fire to burn more brightly in Ariana's eyes. Sakura once again dogged her attack and this time added in a kick that sent Ariana spinning towards the lunch trays. Ariana banged into them causing a big crash to echo throughout the room. As she pulled herself up from the trays she glared at Sakura.

Sakura waved her hand a little, a big grin spread across her face.

Ariana pushed her hair out of her eyes and charged at Sakura again. This time she was able to hit Sakura in the face, causing blood to come from the side of her mouth. Sakura reached up and wiped the blood away, still not bringing her eyes up to look at Ariana.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Sakura said darkly, her left hand clenching into a fist.

Ariana just laughed as she put her hands on her hips.

"Whatever, you big forehead; I mean, look at it! You could fit a whole sentence across there and still have room left."

A vein twitched on Sakura's forehead. All the memories of being made fun of when she was little came rushing back. Her fist began to glow a light blue as her charka formed around it.

"Who could ever think you are pretty, I mean, anyone with a forehead that size should be put to death, just so others don't have to see it every day." Ariana continued to criticize.

When Ariana opened her mouth to say more Sakura was suddenly in front of her. Darkness now set in her eyes as she thrust her charka enhanced fist into her stomach. She smirked as she heard bones crack. Ariana doubled over, clenching her stomach and screaming in pain.

"I believe...four of your ribs broke, you better have those checked out, I'm sure Kabuto would be thrilled to fix you right up." Sakura mocked as she took a few steps away from the fallen girl.

"Next time you want to mess with me make sure you're ready to handle it."

Sakura just noticed all the people that had gathered around to see the fight. She pushed her way through the crowd and stopped short when she saw Sasuke leaning against the wall that led into the hallways. With her head bowed she walked up to him, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Do I want to know?"

His voice sent tremors down her spine. She instantly started to shake her head. Sasuke looked back at the girl that Sakura had hit. By the way the girl was screaming he knew that she must have used her super strength.

"What could she have said to bring out this side of you?" he mused softly.

Sakura looked at him to see that he was still looking in Ariana's direction.

_'Well...he's looking at her now.'_

When Sakura didn't reply Sasuke looked back in her direction. He could see the sadness that suddenly entered her eyes, causing them to cloud over slightly.

"Nothing important."

Sasuke was surprised by how much it upset him that she wasn't being totally honest with him. He looked away from her and shrugged his shoulders.

"All right, but I must say, you really have grown."

Sakura half smiled, "I guess so. I really shouldn't have lost it like that...I feel bad, maybe I should go over there and heal her..." She was about to move when Sasuke suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.

"No, leave her. It'll be a good lesson for her. Now she'll know never to get in Sakura Haruno's way." He smirked at her and Sakura couldn't help but look away from Ariana.

"How much did you see?"

Sasuke leaned his head against the wall.

"Long enough to see your fist basically go through her."

Sakura flinched slightly but quickly composed herself.

"And you didn't do anything to stop it?"

"Why would I? I could tell that you could take care of yourself."

Sakura folded her arms across her chest.

"But I can see that she still got a swing at you." Sasuke replied, his finger pointing at her mouth. Sakura reached up again and noticed that she was bleeding. She opened her hand and placed her palm on it. Her hand began glowing a light green color and soon the cut was healed.

"I let her hit me. I wanted her to think she had the upper hand."

"Ah."

Sakura sighed as she let her hands fall down to her side.

"What are you really thinking?"

Sasuke was momentarily surprised by her sudden question.

"Nothing, I just think that you handled yourself really well out there."

Sakura's eyes fell down to her shoes.

"You aren't thinking I'm turning into a twisted person that lives here?"

Sasuke looked at her, well he tried to look at her but her hair was covering her eyes from his view.

"Why? Do you think that?" Sasuke turned the question around on her. Sakura's shoulders slumped dramatically.

"I would never normally do what I did. Sure I get worked up and I hit people, like Naruto and Sai but...I've never intentionally broke bones before, unless it was in a battle, this was more of a bullying." Sakura explained.

Sasuke shifted the weight on his feet.

"If she was making you upset you had every right to hit her like you did. Don't worry about it Sakura, it's fine."

Sakura bit her lip.

_'That's the thing, its fine here. But if I was back home...it would be the worst thing I could have done. I'm changing...and it scares me.'_

"Yeah. Well I'm going to go take a nap." Sakura said as she turned towards the hallways. Sasuke didn't say anything as she left. Sakura couldn't help but walk quickly down the halls to her bedroom. She didn't want to see anyone right now. For the moment she wanted to be alone so she could think about what she did.

She flung the door open and slammed it shut behind her. Running to her bed she buried her face in the pillow, blocking out all the noise that surrounded her.

* * *

Naruto flipped in the air to land safely on the other side of the gorge. Kakashi followed after him and they both looked behind them at the vast forest below.

"So this is where you brought Sasuke to train for the Chunin exams?" Naruto asked softly.

Kakashi nodded his head.

"This is where we practiced for hours on end. He became very good...I only wish he would have stayed in the village."

Naruto looked up at Kakashi expecting him to venture further into his thoughts. Kakashi turned to Naruto and smiled under his mask.

"But the past is the past and the future is now. There is a lot of work ahead of us if we are going to save Sakura from Sasuke."

"Orochimaru, Sasuke wouldn't take her." Naruto responded without hesitation.

Kakashi sighed, "Yes, yes, Orochimaru."

Naruto tightened his head band.

"Let's go."

Kakashi lowered his right hand as his lightening blade formed.

* * *

Sasuke was walking back from Kabuto's office. The girl Sakura had hit in the lunch hall was seriously hurt. Sasuke had a smug look on his face.

_'Well it will teach everyone here not to mess with her. She really showed her strength back there. I wish she would be that way while we were training. Perhaps she holds back on me because she can sense I'm doing the same thing to her. I might have to change that...'_

Sasuke halted in his steps. Orochimaru was leaning causally against the wall, expecting him.

"I heard what happened in the lunch hall. I wonder what else our little Sakura is hiding."

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest.

"Hn."

Orochimaru smirked as he pushed himself away from the wall and towards Sasuke.

"I thought we agreed that you'd train her. Find everything out that she can do."

Sasuke glared at him.

"Beat it. You don't need to bother me right now."

Orochimaru's smile never wavered.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, you need to learn how to show some respect."

"I haven't showed you any so far so I see no reason to start." Sasuke growled.

Orochimaru clasped his hands together.

"I can think of a reason why."

Sasuke starred at him, waiting for him to go on.

"Sakura. If you don't start showing some respect I can't control what happens to her."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"I could care less about her."

"Oh, but we both know that's a lie. A part of you would kill yourself if anything horrible happened to her." Orochimaru cut in.

Sasuke's eyes hardened immensely.

"What plan do you have hatching in your head?"

Orochimaru snickered.

"That's for me to know, and you to see."

Then he turned on his heels and started to walk away from Sasuke.

"Oh, by the way Sasuke, I expect you to break her."

Sasuke looked away from Orochimaru's retreating figure.

_'Break her...just like I did when I left the village...'_

_

* * *

_**Wow, never thought I'd get this chapter out his fast. I realized i have nothing to do now that Fall semester is done and I don't have that much work. The next couple of days I have a lot of work though...bleck. I need to thank my beta Silver!!! She got me this chapter back 5 hours after I sent it to her. Totally AMAZING! Sakura beat someone up! And not even at full strength! YEAH!!! Totally show her fighting side. **

**I hope you guys have a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for reading, I hope it's been what you've wanted. Please Review if you have the time. If not thats fine. Take care! I'll update in a few days...or next week. :D  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sakura blinked her eyes open. She could tell that it was late in the evening by the way her body felt. She sat up slowly, eyes scanning the room. She sighed in relief when she found no sign of Orochimaru. Bending down she took off her sandals that were still on her feet. They thudded to the ground as she tossed them away from her.

She glanced around the small room and decided it was time she changed her clothes. Silently she walked to the closet and began to look through it. All there was were tight clothing.

_'Why can't there be something baggy for once? I don't always like feeling exposed.'_

As her hands neared the back of the closet she found an old shirt. She pulled it out and was ecstatic that it was a few sizes bigger than what she usually wore. Letting her old cloths fall to the ground she pulled the shirt on. She was still wearing the tight black pants underneath and that was fine by her, as long as she was able to feel free.

She picked up her shirt that she had dropped on the ground and put it in the basket that she assumed was for dirty cloths. Running a hand through her pink locks she decided that it couldn't hurt to adventure around the compound at night. Surely most of the people here would be asleep at this hour. With her hand on the doorknob she turned it slowly and pulled the door open. Poking her head out she looked up and down the hall and seeing that no one was there she walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

As she started to walk down the hall she heard a chirping noise coming from one of the rooms. She halted in her walking, realizing what the sound was. Her feet were beginning to go numb from how cold the floor was. Why didn't she put her shoes on? She shrugged her shoulders and continued to walk slowly and quietly down the hallway.

The chirping got louder the closer she got. Leaning over the side of the wall she looked into the room that the noise was coming from. Four straw dummies were set up with targets on their heads. Sasuke stood in the middle with his hand outstretched, Chidori filling his palm. There was a flash and all four dummies heads slid off the sticks they were propped on. Sakura eyes widened at the new technique Sasuke had acquired since he left the village. There was so much about Sasuke that was still unknown...

Sasuke suddenly turned and their eyes met. Sakura finally let her eyes fall to the ground.

"What are you doing up?" Sasuke asked his voice cold.

When Sakura didn't answer Sasuke lowered his hand and walked so he was standing in front of her. He eyed her up and down, noticing how Sakura's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he did so. He smirked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"You really shouldn't be walking around like that. Guys here might take that as a signal that you want them to jump you."

Sakura bit her lip, still not bringing her eyes up from the floor. Sasuke looked down and noticed that she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Aren't your feet cold? Are you trying to make yourself sick?" he scolded.

Sakura took a deep breath.

"What are you doing learning something like that? Are you trying to make it so you can slaughter a handful of people at once? What could you be planning to learn an attack like that?"

Sasuke's eyes hardened.

"I don't have to answer to you." He snarled.

Sakura flinched slightly.

"There must be a reason why you would do something like this. Why are you trying so hard to become so strong? I'm sure you could beat Itachi by now."

"Wrong. Itachi is way ahead of me in the power department. I haven't even scratched the surface. If I faced him now he'd just laugh at me. There's so much more I need to learn before I could go up against him."

Sakura walked into the room he was just practicing in. She walked over to one of the dummies and put her hand on the gash mark.

"Sasuke...look at what you did. Can you imagine using this on a living person? It would be disastrous--it would cause so much pain..." Her emerald eyes turned sad.

"Would you use this against me and Naruto if you had to? Naruto who will stop at nothing to get you to come back to Konoha...me, who can't help but have feelings for you when I know you're long lost. Could you do it Sasuke?"

Sasuke leaned against the wall and slid down. Sakura turned so that she could see his face. When he sat down on the ground she slowly walked over to him. Uncertainly she sat down next to him, leaning her head against the cold stone wall.

"If you did use it against us...I would want you to kill me quickly. It's hard to see you like this...becoming like you are. There are so many times when I swear I can see the old you in your eyes. But then as soon as I see it, it leaves. Is it so bad to want to protect us? To want to feel loved and cared about?" She questioned softly.

"Those bonds only cause confusion; they try to confuse you from the one goal that you want to achieve. I can't afford that distraction." Sasuke stated.

Sakura opened her palms and reached out towards Sasuke's arm. He looked at her with slight confusion in his eyes.

"Your arm is bleeding." Sakura responded to his confused look. Sasuke looked down at his arm and noticed the blood. He shrugged his shoulders as Sakura leaned forward and placed her hands on his injured arm.

"I know you want to kill Itachi but could you please slow down a little? You can't be pushing yourself this hard; you'll end up tiring yourself out." Sakura explained as her charka began to heal his wounds.

Sasuke was surprised by how he allowed her to touch him the way she did. Usually when Kabuto healed him he found it annoying and...sick at the same time. But when it was Sakura he couldn't help but like the feeling it sent through his system. It was almost like she was trying to make it soothing, unlike Kabuto who healed just so the injury was healed and done with.

Sasuke watched her face as she concentrated on the healing.

"You really enjoy it don't you? Healing people." Sasuke spoke suddenly. Sakura jumped slightly from his question but then she broke out into a smile.

"It makes me feel like I'm actually giving something back. For once I don't have to stand on the sidelines and have everyone protect me. Now I can heal them when they get hurt and I have super strength that can help out. I'm not the same girl I was when you were around Sasuke, when you left--it caused me to grow up. I knew that crying around wasn't going to change the fact that you left. I knew I was too weak to stop you so, I decided that day that I would become stronger, so that way I could help Naruto in bringing you back."

"When I saw the shape Naruto was in from the fight you two had I couldn't help but feel guilty. It was my fault that he got himself so hurt...my fault because I asked him to bring you back--and he promised me that he would. I knew he had feelings for me and yet I still asked him to bring you back, because I was deeply in love with you. I never stopped to think about his feelings on the matter. I knew he cared about you but I also knew it hurt him that I paid so much attention to you and not to him," Sakura let her hair fall in front of her eyes, masking her from his view, "And I still had the nerve to beg him to bring you back. After that I knew I couldn't count on Naruto to bring you back on his own. I made myself promise that I would help bring you back. So, that's when I decided I couldn't be the little innocent girl I was."

Sasuke listened to the whole story. Annoyed he pushed her hair away from her face.

"I can't see your eyes when you let your hair fall in front of them like that."

Tingly sensations traveled down her skin when he pushed her hair away from her face. She looked up into his onyx eyes, stunned.

"It gets annoying."

Sasuke huffed as he let his hands fall away from her face. He turned away from her gaze and looked down at his hand. Sakura quickly composed herself and went back to concentrating on the healing. After a few more minutes she finally pulled her hands away from his arm.

"There, you're all better now."

Sasuke moved his arm to test it out. He nodded his head in satisfaction. Sakura smiled, her eyes closing.

"I'm glad it's to your standards."

"And to think you don't even have full control of your chakra. You can do a lot even with limited access." Sasuke commented.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

"Chakra control has always been easy for me. I never really figured out why."

Sasuke smirked, returning his gaze back to her face.

"You need to give yourself more credit. You've always been really good at it; you shouldn't need to figure out why. Just be glad that it comes easy for you. There are times when I still have problems with it," he admitted as he ran his hand through his hair.

Sakura's smile left her face, she was shocked again.

_'Did Sasuke just admit to me that he still has some problems? It's like he's saying he still isn't that good at something...he's good at everything, right?'_

"Don't seem so surprised. I get beat up about it all the time by Orochimaru. Why do you think I practice so hard when he's sleeping and not around?" Sasuke asked lightly.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Shutting her mouth she looked down at the baggy shirt.

"Well...if you need some help--I realize that you don't like people helping you and stuff but...well...if you really needed--I--I could help you." Sakura finally managed to get the words out.

Sasuke starred at her for a while, then, surprising himself he poked her lightly on the forehead with his index finger.

"Thanks squirt."

Sakura's eyes hardened, "Squirt? Did you really just call me that?!"

Sasuke chuckled as he stood up. Glancing down at her still on the floor he yawned.

"It's really late and you should go back to sleep."

Sakura turned her head away from him like a stubborn child.

"I've been sleeping for a very long time, there's no way I could go back to sleep."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I don't care. I'm leaving." Then he turned and left her in the room alone.

"Jeez, you think with all the nice conversation we had that maybe, just maybe, I was able to get him to let his guard down. Then he goes and turns back into the cold bastard that he is." Sakura grumbled as she got up off the cold floor. She winced as she stood up on her stiff legs. She had been sitting for far too long.

There was a cracking noise causing her to jump a few feet into the air. Her eyes scanned the room and she decided that going back to her room wasn't such a bad idea.

_'Oh why didn't I listen to Sasuke? If I would have then I'm sure he would have walked me to my room. But nooo, I had to be stubborn so now I'm gonna run.'_

Sakura bolted out of the room and when she got to her room she shut the door behind her, panting. Her green eyes landed on her bed and sleep suddenly wanted to take over. Slowly, and lazily, she walked to her bed and fell down. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out.

* * *

Sasuke starred up at his ceiling, his hands fiddling with the rope that was used to keep the purple material on. What was wrong with him? Why did he feel like his whole world was spinning on him, wanting to take him down a path that he left long ago?

_'When I moved her hair away from her face...my fingers lightly touched her soft skin. There was something that happened when that occurred. Why do I feel so...unsettled about it? It's only Sakura right? Nothing real scary, she couldn't scare me anyway, so then why do I feel this way? I feel anxious, like something is going to happen and I don't have any control over it.'_

Sasuke smirked in the darkness.

_'I poked her on the forehead, just like...Itachi used to do to me when I was younger. I didn't even think of doing it, it just happened. I need to be extremely careful when I'm around her for now on. Who knows what could just 'happen' when I'm around her.'_

Sasuke turned on his side when Orochimaru's voice filled his mind. "Oh by the way Sasuke, I expect you to break her."

Sasuke's eyes shot open.

_'This could work to my advantage. She even told me that she still has feelings for me even though she knows it's a lost cause. Orochimaru wants me to break her...I'll break her all right.'_

Sasuke closed his eyes, preparing himself to fall asleep. What he didn't know was that his dreams were going to be filled with a certain pink haired Konuchi.

* * *

Naruto gazed up at the stars in the sky. Kakashi was snoring lightly beside him.

"Sakura...I'm working harder each day so that I can become strong enough to bring you and Sasuke back. I'm sorry it's taking so long, please be safe...don't do anything that could get you in trouble."

Naruto sighed as the stars twinkled in the night sky. How he wished that he was strong enough already so that Sakura wouldn't have to be stuck in that dreadful place, wherever she was.

Naruto looked to his side to see Kakashi with his eyes closed.

_'I envy him in a way. He's always so calm...so cool. He worries about Sakura as much as I do but he doesn't let it affect the way he does things. He just pushes his worries aside so he can deal with the problem at hand. I wish I was more like him. But...Sakura is my family, just as Kakashi Sensei is...and Sasuke. I can't afford to lose anyone of them. I'll do anything to get them back. I hope it's enough...I hope I'm not weak when I face Sasuke again. I need to be strong so that he'll listen to me, if not...than he'll never take me seriously. He'll just look down at me and see me as a weak child.'_

Naruto ground his teeth together in anger.

_'I will **not **let him see me weak like that again. Kakashi Sensei and I are working on something that will blow Sasuke out of the water when he sees it. Than...maybe he could be proud of me._'

Naruto's eyes started to sag as sleep tried to take him. He shook his head, trying to make the sleepiness leave, it didn't.

_'I'll save you brother...from yourself'_

Then his vision was filled with darkness as he allowed sleep to overtake him.

* * *

**Well there's chapter 7! Its hard for me to believe that I'm already on this chapter. Right now I'm currently working on Chapter 8, that's almost done and I'll be sending it to my amazing beta reader Silver!! She's totally amazing and I would have had this chapter out before Christmas but she was super busy and couldn't beta it for a few days. But I completely understand, I'm sure you all understand as well. **

**Well I hope you enjoyed the little Sasuke and Sakura exchange. Its so hard to decide when the relationship should start in this story. But I think it'll be happening soon...or at least something that will lead up to it will happen very soon. :D So i believe you won't have to wait much longer for some Sasuke Sakura. If it does take a while longer I am sorry. But they can't just suddenly be with each other in a snap, you know? Anyway, please read and review! I'd love to know what you all thought. And I'll have another update in a few days I believe. Hopefully you'll enjoy that chapter more than this one, but I still think this one was good. **

**All right, till next time!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_Her pink hair swirled around her face from the wind that was blowing it. The look on her face was sad. Sasuke wanted to reach out towards her, to make that frown disappear and to replace it with a smile. He didn't like seeing this girl sad. What could cause her so much sadness? The girl's eyes landed on him, green clashing with onyx. His heart rate quickened as he recognized the girl. Her hand reached out towards him, tears sliding down her cheeks._

_"Sasuke-kun..."_

_His hand started to move towards her but he held himself back, turning away from her. Sakura's hand fell limply at her side._

_"You've always hated me, haven't you? No matter what I did...no matter what technique I learn, you'll always hate me, won't you?"_

_The darkness that was always present around Sasuke darkened. The darkness covered his eyes, masking them from view._

_"Don't you realize that you don't have to be alone? That you can be happy too?" Sakura's voice asked._

_Sasuke didn't move, everything was so clouded--he didn't know what to believe. He was startled when he felt her small hand entwine with his. He opened his eyes and looked down into her loving eyes._

_"No matter what you do to me or Naruto...I'll always love you. I know it doesn't mean anything but--I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes you." She smiled then, her eyes closing, "I think you're worth the wait. I've seen Sasuke...I've seen the future with you--you become happy, really happy."_

_Sasuke's eyes widened. What was this girl talking about? This clearly wasn't the Sakura he knew. This was her other side...the side she never let show. Her...weak side._

_And wasn't this Sasuke's weak side? He was allowing her to touch him, actually talk some sense into him. Everything that left her mouth he wanted to believe, he wanted...to be with her. A part of him knew that if he just listened to his gut that he could be happy. He could have everything he ever wanted. Sasuke shook his head, pulling his hand away from hers._

_"Leave me alone Sakura. I made my choice and...I don't want you to wait for me. There's nothing between us, there will never be anything between us." He snarled, his coldness returning tenfold._

_Sakura smiled sadly as she looked down at her hands._

_"Oh I know you could never love me. But...you could grow to love someone else. Sasuke there is so much good you could do for the world. So much that you could give..."_

_"...I don't want to hear it Sakura. Whatever you're going to say you can just stop now. Leave me the hell alone. You're lucky you're even standing here, breathing. I could have killed you in any moment." Sasuke snapped his Sharingan activating._

_At that moment she had the nerve to actually smile._

_"You can't make me hate you Sasuke, nothing you say can change the way I feel about you. You were always the one to protect me back when we were Genin...I haven't forgotten that. And..." she trailed off as she closed the distance between them._

_"Nothing can stop me from caring about you."_

_"Even killing Naruto?" Sasuke hissed through clenched teeth._

_Sakura hesitated slightly, raising herself up on her tippy toes._

_"You could never kill Naruto; he's the brother you wished to have. But even if you did decide to kill him...I'd be mad at you, but my love would never die, it can't." She raised herself enough that she raised her head and touched her lips to his. The kiss was tender and sweet, causing Sasuke to freeze in place. He didn't know how he was supposed to act. Should he push her away? Or should he kiss her back? Before he had to decide she pulled away from him, the smile returning to her lips._

_"Remember, you don't have to be alone. You can choose to have people in your life. So many people care about you, the question is, do you care about them?"_

_Sasuke had the blank look on his face, the kiss had really thrown him off. When he was about to reach out towards her she vanished. A panic feeling took over him as he realized she was nowhere to be found. Each breath was harder and harder to take. Where did she go? Was she all right? Did something happen to her? Did--did Orochimaru get to her?_

_A sick laugh echoed through the room._

_"You'll never be able to go back Sasuke. You sold yourself to me and I will get rid of anyone who stands in my way."_

Sasuke bolted upright in his bed, a light sweat drenched his skin. He reached up with a shaking hand and touched his lips. It all felt so real. He could still feel the way her soft lips felt against his. Falling back on his pillow he sighed.

"What in the world is wrong with me? It was just a dream." Turning on his side he closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the memory of her.

_'Sakura, why did you have to be the one thrown back into my life? I knew from the moment in the hospital that you would be my downfall. When I said other bonds only distracted me from my goals I was mostly talking about you. Naruto as well--but his was for another reason. Yours was because...I could feel myself...ugh, I can't even think about it now. This is all a pain, I hope Orochimaru gets what he wants from you so that I can be in peace again.'_

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked down at his sheets. He knew that he was lying to himself when he said he wanted Orochimaru to be done with Sakura. For once he was finished with her...Sakura would cease to exist.

"Why did I dream of you?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing his chakra so he could once again fall into the nothingness of sleep.

* * *

Thud...Thud...Thud...Thud

"Kakashi Sensei! Wake. Up!" Naruto yelled, close to Kakashi's ear. In response to Naruto's yelling Kakashi simply turned over onto his other side and continued to snore lightly.

Naruto pulled at his blonde hair in frustration. What in the world was wrong with his Sensei?

"How can you still be sleeping at a time like this? Kakashi Sensei!! I need you to please wake up, it's time we got back to the training."

A groan was heard from the Sensei as he stirred out of his sleep.

"What?" He opened his eye and focused it on Naruto.

"Naruto, you may have more chakra than me but even you should be tired from our training yesterday."

Naruto shook his head vigorously.

"I'm ready and starving to go Sensei. Let's get started."

Kakashi groaned as he got in a sitting position, running his hand through his hair he chuckled.

"All right Naruto. But are you sure you're ready to be beat...again?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed drastically.

"It's only because your Chidori can cut through anything, that isn't really fair you know. You won't beat me this time Kakashi Sensei."

"Such a loud mouth and yet your actions speak differently." Kakashi stated plainly.

He stood up and arched his right hand, Chidori fell at his command. It was time for another round.

_'I can only hope Naruto catches on soon. Sasuke is a lot stronger than I am...he needs to be able to handle anything that comes his way.'_

* * *

Sasuke's eyes snapped open when the door to his room was slammed shut. He stayed motionless, listening for whoever was stupid enough to wake him up. He heard light panting and a hand moving away from the doorknob.

He turned his head so he could see the door. The person gasped at his sudden movement and quickly recovered.

"I--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come in here..." her soft voice trailed off as she realized how lame she was being.

"Okay so what, I felt Orochimaru coming down the hall and there was no way I was going to be laying in my room waiting for him to come freak me." Sakura hissed.

Sasuke smirked in the darkness. How pathetic this girl really was.

"So you decided to come into my room instead, oh yes, brilliant plan. Now he's going to think you were with me the whole night." Sasuke stated sarcastically.

Sakura looked down as she advanced towards his bed.

"Well...is it so bad that he think that?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror, was she serious? Sakura sat down on the bed next to him, causing him to stiffen immediately.

"I know it's the last thing you would ever want to do with me, and believe me, I feel the same about you but...I don't want him Sasuke. Can't you see that? Everything about him is evil and...I have a feeling his 'plan' has to do with me because I'm a girl, and so far I'm the only one that's been able to handle his...physical side." Sakura said as she played with his bed sheet.

Sasuke's lips began to tingle again as the dream came into his mind. He moved his head away from her so he could glare up at the ceiling.

"Sakura, you're the one that--"

"--Chose this, I know! Was it a bad choice to decide to live? To give Naruto and Kakashi Sensei the chance to find me? I don't know how that was a bad choice." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"They'll never be able to find you Sakura. I told you that, they will search for a long time and never come up with a trace of you. Why? Because Orochimaru will make it that way, he will make it so no one except him will ever be able to find you."

"Except you..."

Sasuke turned back to look at her. What was wrong with her? Shouldn't she be afraid of him, fear him?

His eyes narrowed, the Sharingan coming to life.

"Sakura, you really need to leave."

Sakura folded her arms across her chest and shook her head.

"No."

They way her lips parted each time she got angry made him go insane. He wanted to feel how her lips would really feel against his. He wanted to feel how soft her skin was, he wanted...to have her. Sasuke sat up abruptly, coming closer to her, making her look into his eyes.

Sakura starred defiantly back, never closing her eyes. It was like she was asking him to torment her with his eyes. Sasuke growled, his lips twitching.

"I'm not going to leave because I refuse to be treated like a living sex toy."

"So you want to stay here so it will cause even more problems for you?" He snapped.

Sakura smirked in response.

"I believe you are the one that is afraid of getting in trouble. How would Orochimaru feel if you were doing the girl he was doing at the same time?"

"He wouldn't be upset at me because I'm not doing the girl he's doing. I'm not doing anyone, I never have!" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Sakura eyes widened, "Oh and why is that? There are tons of girls that are just waiting to get with you. And you're telling me that you've ignored all of them? That you're still innocent in some way?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth together. While Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

"Sasuke is a virgin! Oh this is great."

"So are you!" he shot back causing her smile to fade quickly.

"I used to be...until I got kidnapped."

Sasuke looked away from her and ran his hands through his hair. This was not the time to be around her. She was driving him insane.

He got off the bed so he couldn't smell her sent anymore. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a while shirt and put it on, covering up his bare chest. Sakura blushed slightly when she saw him in the limited light coming from under the door.

"Sakura, you need to go out. Orochimaru is now in his study, he's waiting for me."

Sakura was about to say something when he was suddenly in front of her, his hands grabbing her wrists. She tried to ignore the electricity that emitted when his skin came in contact with hers.

He pulled her from the bed and yanked her to the doorway; he pushed her out and tossed her to the side.

"He won't be coming to bother you so you don't have to worry, meet me in an hour and we'll start our training." His voice was so cold that it made her shiver. She nodded her head and turned away from him. She walked down the halls still in the cloths she was in the night before. She really had no desire to change until she heard a sound ninja whispering something to his partner. She ran into her room and opened the closet, she pulled out a white tank top. She tugged the baggy shirt over her head and tossed it to the ground. Quickly she pulled on the tank top and looked down at herself. The shirt only covered some of her stomach, you could still she her belly button. She groaned, why did everything here have to be so revealing?

Walking over to the dresser she pulled out a skirt that was blue, she pulled that over the tight black shorts she was wearing.

She couldn't help but laugh as he realized this was just like Sasuke's cloths back when he was with them, except his shorts where white and his shirt blue. Looks like hers was just the opposite.

Walking over to the front of the door she pulled on her knee high sandals. Her eyes fell on the bracelet that resided on her right wrist. She sighed.

"How am I ever going to get this thing off? That's right, I have to convince Orochimaru that I'm no longer a threat...that's going to take a lot of acting...isn't it?"

She pulled at her Hidden Leaf headband and it came off. She glanced down at it in her hands, she could see her reflection on the metal. She sighed, setting the headband on her dresser.

_'It's time I shut that part of my life away...it's time to figure out how to become more stronger here so I can become an asset to Orochimaru. I don't want him doing anything to me that could end up killing me.'_

The clock ticked, brining her attention to it. It was time to go train with Sasuke.

**_'And maybe this time we can kiss him!'_**

Sakura shook her head as her inner side began to come out. Where had she been this whole time? There was no way she could kiss him, which was the right way to piss Sasuke off to no end.

_**'Why don't you fight him and seduce him at the same time? That way you might actually stand a chance of beating him while you train.'**_

Sakura smiled as she agreed with herself. That was a good way to make sure she won. It would catch him off guard, which would help her win. Now, all she had to do was get close enough to him so that it was possible.

Making her way to the practice grounds she ran through all the possible things she could do to be close to him. And she tried to ignore the way her heart pounded each time she thought about it.

_'This is dumb...I can't do this. Even if I still have feelings for him doesn't mean I should openly show it. Besides it's a good way to get Sasuke to hate me even more than he currently does. Great...I can't let anything happen. I have to control that other side of myself. Sasuke is off limits. No touching, at all.'_ Sakura couldn't help but stare as she saw Sasuke hard at work. The way his muscles moved each time he thrust his Kunai towards a target was...beautiful. She quickly shook her head, trying to clear it. Sasuke turned around and smirked at her.

"Took you long enough."

"I'm not late though! You're just mister impatient." Sakura retorted as she set her bag down on the dirt floor.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he carelessly threw his last Kunai and it soared right into the middle of the target.

Sakura's mouth gaped open in shock. He wasn't even looking while he threw that.

"Sasuke...you have got to teach me that."

Sasuke walked over to her and bent down to pick up his water bottle. He drank from it heavily and wiped at his mouth when he was finished.

"You should be able to do that already, all you have to do is concentrate your Chakra. You, a master of chakra control, should be able to do that easy." Sakura blushed as she scrapped her sandal on the dirt.

"Well...let's just say I'm not very good at using Kunai's so...I can't really do that. As in, at all."

Sasuke wiped at his forehead as he gazed down at her. She really was short. Sakura looked at anything but at him. He couldn't explain the feelings that came over him as he watched her bite her bottom lip, the lip he so badly wanted to bite.

He shook his head and took a few steps away from her, causing her to turn her emerald eyes to him. She had a confused look cross her face and then she shrugged her shoulders. Perhaps she just thought he was a weird kid that had issues that she could never understand.

"Fine, why don't we just start sparring instead? I'm sure that's what you've been waiting for all day. By the way, how did the meeting with Orochimaru go?"

Sasuke picked up his sword as she bent down in a defense position.

"He didn't mention anything about you being out of bed if that's what you're asking." Sasuke said emotionless.

Sakura beamed as she adjusted her gloves on her small hands.

"Good. Maybe he'll get the hint that I don't want anything to do with him."

Sasuke was about to tell her otherwise but decided against it as she sprung on her heels and charged at him. He barely missed her chakra enhanced fist as it neared his chest. She was getting faster.

_'It appears that she isn't holding back this time.'_

He smirked as he blinked his eyes and his Sharingan was activated. Sakura stepped dead in her tracks as she looked into those sinister eyes.

"Does this mean that you aren't going to go easy on me?" she asked as she once again raised her fist. Sasuke leaped into the air as he read what she was going to do before she did it. Sakura frowned as she looked up at him in the sky.

_'I think I like it better when he's going easy on me. Now he's going to be really tough.'_

_**'I'm telling ya girl, it's time to play the card that gets every male to swoon.'**_

_'Sure but...Sasuke isn't any normal male. It's like he has no hormones at all. All it's going to do is piss him off and cause him to beat us relentlessly.'_

Inner Sakura decided not to comment on that point as Sasuke hurled down towards her. Sakura quickly pushed away from the ground, sliding back a few feet. Sasuke was behind her before she could do anything to stop him. What was she going to do now? Without hesitating she swung around on her heels so that he was no facing her. Very quickly and daringly she pressed her lips to the base of his neck. It was the only place she could reach because of the obvious height difference between the two.

His eyes widened as she pushed him against the wall, using her super human strength to hold him there. He was defenseless as her mouth moved against his neck.

"Get. Off. Me." Sasuke snarled into her ear.

In answer Sakura reached up by his head and slammed her fist into the wall, causing the area she hit to crumble around her fist.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he once again began to struggle against her hold. Sakura pulled him back slightly and thrust him against the wall again, making him grunt in pain. Her kissing moved up his neck to his earlobe. She opened her mouth and caught his ear with her teeth. She wasn't biting hard but it was enough to drive him crazy.

_'What is this girl doing? Does she really want me to beat her senseless? Ugh, why is it even affecting me?'_

That was when he felt something wet on his ear. Was that her tongue? Yes, it defiantly was her tongue. Sasuke arched his head away from her, trying to get his ears away from her mouth. Sakura giggled as she held up a Kunai to his neck. She swiped it lightly against his skin, causing a thin line of blood to appear.

"I win," she whispered suggestively in his ear. By that time Sasuke had had enough and he pushed her away from him full force. Sakura staggered slightly but otherwise broke out into one of her damned smiles.

"I actually beat the emotionless Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke glared at her, his Sharingan began to spin. Sakura immediately fell silent.

"And this is when you beat me...isn't it?" she stated as she brought her hands up in front of her.

"C'mon Sasuke, I dare you." She taunted, licking her lips.

Sasuke had no idea why or how he backed down from the blood lust that so badly wanted to be quenched. Suddenly he found himself glaring at the ground, his eyes back to a black jade.

"If you ever touch me like that again I will kill you."

Sakura slowly lowered her hands, a smirk on her lips.

"Oh don't tell me that you didn't feel anything." She whinned lightly.

Sasuke turned away from her, deciding it was better if he didn't speak.

Sakura's hard eyes soon faded as she looked at him sadly.

_'He really didn't feel anything. I was trying with all my might not to feel anything but...all I wanted him to do was touch me back. I have to forget the way he tasted...I need to forget and give up on that boy that I fell in love with. He's not coming back.'_

"Well just know this Sasuke, it didn't mean a thing to me. It was all just to win this little sparring match, and I did so that's all that matters." Sakura said harshly, her eyes hardening by the minute.

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes, her hands clenching into fists. He was answering in his usual Uchiha answer, grunts. How she wanted to smack that out of him. Turning around she grabbed her stuff and pulled the bag over her shoulder.

"I'm leaving; if you want to fight again just come find me. Kabuto is probably really pissed at me for not coming to my appointment."

Sasuke didn't say anything as she left the training room. He reached up and ran his hand through his hair. What was Sakura thinking? She shouldn't be messing with fire, especially when he was that fire.

* * *

Kabuto sat at his desk, polishing one of his many surgical instruments. Sakura entered the room with a soft click. Kabuto glanced up from his glasses.

"I was wondering when you would be showing up."

Sakura shifted her weight nervously.

"Well...there's something wrong with...me," she replied softly.

Kabuto's eyebrows rose as she went on with her explanation.

"I have this rash...but it isn't a normal rash, its like...whenever I touch it...something happens. It's like...I don't know, it's not exactly a rash but I don't know how to explain it. Here," she reached up and pulled her shirt so he could see her lower back, "look at it...it isn't normal."

Kabuto stood up and placed his cold fingers on her bare skin.

"Hhm...it appears that you are starting to receive a fraction of his power."

Sakura looked over her shoulder.

"His power?"

"Yes, his chakra has been entering you every time you have intercourse. He is passing his power to you, although I don't know if he realizes it or not."

Sakura bit her lip.

"So...you're telling me that the weird mood swings I'm having is because his chakra is meshing with mine?"

Kabuto looked at her and nodded.

"That's what I'm telling you," he placed his glasses higher up on his nose, "I can give you a cream to help the soreness but it's going to have to heal on its own."

Sakura nodded her head as she let her shirt fall back to cover her skin. At least it wasn't anything that could kill her. Kabuto walked over to his cabinet and pulled out a dull cream. Placing it in her hands he smiled.

"I'm sure you can feel the power flowing through you, can't you?"

Sakura took the cream from him and placed it in her bag.

"What power? I haven't really noticed anything unusual, except my attitude, I haven't been this moody since I was a kid."

Kabuto chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure you'll understand what I'm saying soon enough. I'll alert Lord Orochimaru about what has happened and I'm sure he'll want to see for himself."

Sakura cringed but then smiled.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Kabuto's smile wavered on his face as he saw her smile.

_'Is she actually agreeing on seeing Lord Orochimaru? Wow, something must have happened while Sasuke and her were training. I better go check on him, if she beat him then he'll need some healing...great.'_

"All right I'll be seeing you later today then." Kabuto replied, waving his hand slowly. Sakura walked out of the office not caring to wave back.

"Man, she's starting to turn out like Sasuke, moody and never one to show respect." Kabuto observed.

* * *

When Kabuto found Sasuke he was by himself in one of the many fields that surrounded Orochimaru's hideout.

"What in the world are you doing way out here? It took me ages to find you." Kabuto complained calmly as he strode up to Sasuke, who was leaning against a tree. Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at Kabuto.

"Hm."

Kabuto rolled his eyes, "Sakura came by my office today and she wasn't in a good mood. I have reason to suspect you are to blame for that."

Sasuke closed his eyes again and remained silent.

"Is it possible that you feel guilty for making her feel that way?"

When Sasuke looked at Kabuto his eyes were a blood red. Kabuto took a step back as the Sharingan began to affect his system.

"There is nothing to feel guilty for. She was the one that made the stupid decision."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Clearly you are upset about something, did she beat you in your little training session?"

Sasuke tore his gaze away from Kabuto, the redness leaving his eyes as he did so. He lifted his right hand and looked at it.

"You know, if you want her to like you you're going to have to treat her like she is something. She isn't just a person that was in your past, she's so much more now. Especially now that Lord Orochimaru wants her."

Sasuke clenched his hand, "What makes you think I want her to like me at all? She is a part of my past and unfortunately for me I have to deal with her in my present. Everything about her is annoying and she will turn her back on him. There's no way she would simply forget everything that she left. Orochimaru is a fool if he believes he can change her."

"Ah, but you see Sasuke, that's where your wrong." A cold voice spoke from behind him. Sasuke didn't even move, he had sensed him there the whole time. Orochimaru put his cold hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"I realize that I can't change her, but, you can."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he let his hand fall to his side again.

"What makes you think I'll do anything to help you? I have no reason for her to stay here, my only goal is to kill Itachi and I don't need her for that."

"Don't you? Don't you realize that she could serve such a great purpose in helping you defeat your elder brother? She's strong, very strong."

Sasuke's eyes landed on Orochimaru's face.

"Didn't you want me to break her? Why are you now telling me that you want me to turn her? Break her and turn her are two completely different things." Orochimaru chuckled darkly.

"Yes I realize I told you to break her earlier but...now I've had time to think about it and I decided that she is more valuable to me if she is on our side. Imagine all the power we would have if little Sakura were to decide to join us, her and her strength and healing abilities. Nothing would be able to stop us from taking what we want." Sasuke sneered at Orochimaru.

"What is it that you really want me to do? All I want is to get more powerful, I have no reason to run these little errands for you."

Kabuto shook his head.

"You're forgetting that Lord Orochimaru could decide that he doesn't want to train you anymore. You owe him something in return for all the service he is giving you."

Sasuke shook Orochimaru's hand off his shoulder as he walked a few yards away.

With his back to them he looked at the trees.

"I know about becoming your vessel. That isn't something new to me. So why would I owe you anything when you'll already have my body at your command?"

Orochimaru watched Sasuke's figure as the wind blew in his hair.

_'He has grown very well...in just a few more months I will take him as my own. And everything that is his will become mine. His Sharingan and precious Sakura.'_

He licked his lips at the thought of finally having Sakura completely to himself.

_'I could even keep the appearance of Sasuke and she is sure to give into my every demand.'_

Sasuke tensed as he felt the spike of Orochimaru's chakra.

"And if I don't do this for you? What are you going to do? Kill me?" Sasuke mocked as he turned his head so he could see Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Orochimaru gazed back into Sasuke's black eyes. It took a few minutes before he opened his mouth to speak.

"No I wouldn't kill you, I'd just kill everything that you've been trying to protect."

A confused look momentarily crossed Sasuke's face.

"I'm sure you're thinking that there is no one that you are protecting but c'mon, let's be reasonable. You've always had a soft spot for Sakura, not to mention Naruto as well. I wonder how you would feel if they suddenly just," he moved his hands in a motion to indicate vanishing, "disappeared."

Sasuke smirked.

"Hm, I guess you don't know me as well as you thought you did. If you killed them I wouldn't care."

Orochimaru licked his lips.

"Of course, well then, how about if Itachi just suddenly ended up dead, and you weren't the one to do the killing? I'm sure that would really upset you."

Sasuke's jaw clenched as Orochimaru continued to smile pleasantly.

"..."

"Now, now, Sasuke. Why don't you be a good little boy and do what I ask."

Kabuto smiled as he watched the anger erupt in Sasuke's eyes.

"Hm."

Orochimaru nodded his head as he chuckled.

"Good, I'm glad we all agree on what is going to be taking place."

Sasuke turned and began to walk away. Orochimaru was in front of him in a second.

"By the way Sasuke, if I find out that you are doing anything to give the plan away to Sakura...well let's say something terrible will happen."

Sasuke looked defiantly at him. Then he forcefully pushed Orochimaru away from him and out of his path.

Kabuto walked up to Orochimaru as they both watched him walk away.

"Do you really think he'll do it?"

Orochimaru put his hand on his chin.

"One thing about Sasuke you need to know is that he never goes back on an order. Especially when you threaten the people he cares about. Poor Sasuke, he really should have learned to let go of those feelings."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose.

"You really think he still cares about his old team mates?"

"Yes I do. There are times when we are training that something will enter his eyes and he'll falter for a moment. I saw this the first time it happened and I knew instantly that he still cared for the blonde haired brat and the pink haired girl. The interesting part was...he never realized it himself."

Kabuto scratched his head as this all began to sink in.

"So Sasuke has been hiding things from himself all this time? Why would he try so hard to make himself believe that he didn't care about them? I know that he wants his revenge but with the way he talks about them you'd think he really did hate them."

Orochimaru smiled evilly.

"Because he didn't want me to catch on, and he knew that if he kept that fire alive in himself that I would see it. He tried to smolder those flames but...they are still ever present, faint, but present. And now, it gives me the advantage I need, and the hold on him that I haven't been able to posses until now."

"Now he's under your control." Kabuto stated as he grinned.

Orochimaru broke into another one of his smiles.

"Now he is mine."

* * *

**So sorry it took me so long to update, here's a long chapter though so i hope i made up for it! How did you guys like it? I think it's one of my favorite chapters I've written so far. Of course i have to thank my beta Silver, she's totally amazing!!! **

**YAY! A little more Sasuke Sakura even if it really didn't do much...sigh, sorry you guys but I think it's going to take a little longer than i had thought for them to get together, they will get together though! I'm determined to make that happen for sure. :D Well school starts on Weds. and so far I'm not very far on Chapter 9...so I have no idea when I'll get that out. I'm sorta at a writers block and i hate it, but I'll try to push through it and bring you guys a great chapter. I hope...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! I always like to know what people thought. Okay, well I'm late for work so I gotta get ready, I'll see you all next chapter!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Naruto's breathing was beginning to slow down as he neared the end of his rope. All his chakra was completely gone.

"Naruto, you realize that if that had been Sasuke you would be dead." Kakashi grumbled.

Naruto's knees began to buckle as his chakra level dropped. His vision began to swim as he blinked his bright blue eyes.

_'Sasuke...'_

He fell to his knees, his hands clenched around his blonde hair.

"It's been three months, Kakashi-sensei, and I still haven't improved. I don't know how much longer Sakura can keep herself alive."

Kakashi watched as Naruto began to fall apart. He wanted so badly to run to his side and to take away all the pain that was inflicting him, but, he knew that if he did so Naruto would never grow up to become the man he knew he would become.

"Naruto hold yourself together. I know it's been a long time since Sakura went missing but you can't let it get to you. She is safe; you have to believe that otherwise you'll never achieve your goal."

Naruto began to shake his head.

"Sasuke is so strong...and he only keeps getting stronger, there's no way I could ever rival him..."

Kakashi walked over so he was standing in front of Naruto's trembling form.

"What happened to you being so motivated that you'd do anything to get him back? Did that just suddenly vanish when you realized that you might not ever be strong enough to beat him? I thought the whole point to this was so that you could at least withstand him, not beat him. You do want to bring him back to the village, don't you?"

Naruto grip tightened on his hair.

Kakashi sighed as he closed his eyes.

"Look Naruto, I honestly think you're strong enough to take Sasuke on, but, you have to realize that if you use your new technique it could kill him. But you already know that, don't you?"

Naruto let go of his hair to look up at his Sensei.

"I know it could kill him, but the thing is, if I have one technique that could kill him he probably has like 5 that could kill me."

"True, he is training with Orochimaru so I'm sure he's learned lots of forbidden techniques. The question is, are you ready to face the reality that you might not be able to bring Sasuke back to the village... That you might have to kill him?" Kakashi stated while going through his pack to find his red book.

Darkness covered Naruto's eyes as Kakashi drew the sought after book out of his pack.

"Kakashi-sensei, I won't kill him. I'd rather die than kill him."

Kakashi rubbed his right arm.

"Naruto, you might not have a choice. It's time you came to the fact that you might have to kill him in order to save Sakura. I know it'll be hard for you, but at the same time, you know it's something you have to do."

Naruto glared at Kakashi, causing him to fall back a few steps.

"Kakashi-sensei, I swear to you that I will not kill him. He's the brother I never had and I'm going to make sure he comes back to the village."

"Even if you do bring him back, he very well might be put to death."

Naruto closed his eyes as his hands began to turn white from how hard he was clenching them.

"Then if that happens I'll make sure he doesn't get killed. Sakura and I will leave the village with him if Granny is so set on killing him. I won't let him get killed."

Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"You're a true friend Naruto. I hope I always have you on my side and not against me."

Naruto was caught off guard when Kakashi said this.

"Uhh...we'll always be friends, Kakashi-sensei. You've always been there for me and I haven't forgotten all the times you saved me when I was being stupid."

Kakashi raised an eye brow.

"There were a lot of times, weren't there?"

Naruto folded his arms and stuck his nose to the left.

"Well don't get all high and mighty." He grumbled as Kakashi broke into a fit of light laughter.

Naruto flipped a Kunai in his hand.

"Let's get back to training, I promise by this time tomorrow I'll have this down flat."

Kakashi set his book down on the ground to let his hands be free to stop Naruto's attacks.

* * *

Emerald eyes flashed in the darkness as she crept down the deserted hallway. There was no way she was going to let him get away with what he did.

Sakura stopped short when she heard footsteps coming down the hall in the direction she was headed. She muttered profusely under her breath as she shot up in the air and flipped so she was hanging upside down from the ceiling. Masking her chakra she folded her arms to help her shirt from falling down.

Her target walked into her vision and she had to hold back the giggle that wanted to erupt inside her. The look on his face was intense; he was always on guard even when he didn't have to fear anything. His spiky hair gleamed as he looked from his left to his right. Sakura's eyes widened as she realized that he probably felt that something was out of place.

_'Darn it! No matter how hard I try to hide my chakra he can sense something! Why can't I do this without being caught? I guess I really do suck at it.'_

While Sakura was busy stewing over all the reason why she wasn't a good Ninja the chakra flow on her feet began to shimmer away. There was a slight popping sound as the chakra completely left the soles of her feet. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, her arms flapping in the air, as if she could keep herself up by doing that.

Sasuke titled his head upward in time to see the rush of pink hair that was quickly approaching. Automatically he held out his arms, to stop her from falling and hitting her head on the cement floor. When he was sure he had a good grip on her he looked down into her face. She wasn't meeting his eyes and she seemed to be upset.

_'What did I do? She was falling and if it wasn't for me she would have fallen and hurt herself. Girls are confusing, wait, I rephrase, Sakura is confusing.'_

"What were you doing up there in the first place?" He snapped as she glared up at him. In response she folded her arms across her chest and looked in a different direction. Anger boiled inside of him as she gave him the cold shoulder.

"Sakura you're an idiot."

She looked down pointedly at the fact that she was still in his arms and she could tell that he had no intention of letting her go.

"Uh, Sasuke...can you let me go now?"

Her words seemed to remind him that he truly did have her in his arms. He simply let his hands fall to his side causing her to fall, her arms flaying as she hit the ground on her backside, hard. She stood up and rubbed her behind, her pink locks falling into her eyes.

"You are such a..." she trailed off.

Sasuke smirked, "Such a what?"

Her eyes shook with anger as she looked straight into his innocent expression. Sakura had been stuck in this hole for three long months. Sasuke had driven her insane every since the time she gave in and tried to seduce him, and it wasn't because he was drop dead gorgeous but because he was a smart mouth. Everything that came out of his mouth that wasn't a grunt was filled with sarcasm.

Using her index finger she poked him on his nose.

"You are the worst kind of guy I've ever met! I have no idea why I even had feelings for you! I'm so glad I got over your chicken butt head. I didn't know it was possible for your ego to grow even more but I was clearly mistaken. The three months that I've been held here you've become even more arrogant and full of yourself..." she continued her ranting but Sasuke wasn't listening any longer. The anger had built up in his chest to the point where he knew he was going to explode.

"...You have no feeling whatsoever; I don't think you're capable of having any feelings. Heck when we were sparring and I basically threw myself at you all you did was stand there, struggle, and then push me away. You have no hormones at all perhaps that means Kabuto is more your type..." she squealed when she felt her back hit the wall. A gasp of pain left her lips involuntarily.

Sasuke's eyes were a blood red as he pushed her against the wall.

"Shut. Up."

Sakura had to be honest with herself, it had been a month since she had made him fly off the handle like this. In all honesty she was scared. There was just something different about his eyes now as he was looking at her, accusing her in his silent ways.

Her green eyes glazed over as she let go of the restraints that held back the anger that had been coming out the past month.

"Make me! You're the one that has the pigheaded attitude."

"You only call Ino the pig." He hissed through clenched teeth. Sakura just noticed how close his face was to hers. They were only a few inches apart, the closeness making it so she had no choice but to look into his fierce eyes.

"Why do you even care? You've never cared before! You see me on my knees and you just walk away, how can you do that? I don't care anymore Sasuke...I don't."

When she spoke the words it brought back the memory for both of them that happened a few weeks earlier.

_The Kunai whizzed past her left ear. A sweat drop slid down her temple. Her chest heaved up and down quickly as she gasped for air. Exhaustion was clearly outlined on her face._

_"Ready to stop already?" the voice remarked sarcastically._

_She gazed up at him, her green eyes clashing with her pink hair that had grown longer in length since she first got there. He was exhausted like she was but he still wanted to train. She cringed as she felt her sweat roll into one of the many wounds that surrounded her body._

_"I'll never give up."_

_Sasuke smirked at her vain response._

_"Good."_

_Sakura's knees shook as she forced her aching body to stand. Her eyes glazed over as her mind brought up the scene from three years ago._

_"So, Sasuke?" the boy with pineapple hair asked._

_"Yeah, he's gone." Naruto muttered softly._

_That didn't stop Sakura from hearing those fateful words. Her hand shook that was on the doorknob. He really was gone, even after her declaring herself to him and Naruto going after him, he still left. Lifting her head she walked in behind Tsunade. Naruto's eyes fell on her and he instantly stiffened. Sakura could clearly see the failure in his eyes as he looked at her. He scrambled around on the bed._

_"Sakura...I promise I'll keep my promise! I'll bring him back Sakura, it was after all, a promise of a lifetime."_

_Sakura slid to her knees again from the memory of Naruto. How could she be forgetting about him when he most likely was working relentlessly to find her?_

_Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched her fall onto her knees for the second time. She began to shake beyond belief as he watched her. The only time he had seen her like this was when they were in the Forest of Death and Orochimaru had attacked them. What could possibly have her that freaked out?_

_He slowly walked over to her and looked down at her crunched form._

_"What are you doing? You need to stand up so we can practice some more. You have a lot to learn and master."_

_Sakura's trembling didn't cease by hearing his voice. She looked in front of her, not really focusing on anything. He bent down so he was eye level with her and turned her face so she had no choice but to look at him._

_"N-Naruto...he gave everything for me...all the time. And--here I am just training when I should be...trying to find a way out...Naruto..." her voice faltered at the end. Hearing Naruto's name stirred something deep within Sasuke. His eyes turned a deep red, causing her to cringe away._

_"Forget about that dope! You're Orochimaru's pet now and you have no chance of being saved. It's time you forgot about your past and think only of your future here."_

_Her eyes snapped wide by the comment. The current look of helplessness was replaced with hatred._

_"I don't want to be here! Can't you see that? If you wouldn't have come back in the first place I never would be in this mess!"_

_Sasuke dropped his hand from her face and stood up, the look of death in his eyes. He turned around and started to walk away. Sakura's eyes filled with tears of hatred as she watched him._

_"You'll always be the selfish monster that Orochimaru created! I'll never feel the same for you that I did back when we were kids. Never."_

_Sasuke stopped momentarily as she spoke, once she finished he strode away, not looking back. Sakura clasped her hands to her chest. How she hated showing weakness...but this was something that had hit her out of the blue that she couldn't ignore it like she usually did. And he left her...like he always did...when she needed him the most._

They both were silent for a few moments until she couldn't stand it anymore.

"For heaven's sake Sasuke, can you please let me go?"

His eyes focused on hers again as he glared. She gulped as the anger returned full force.

"You really think you have me all figured out, don't you Sakura?" he snarled.

His grip on her arms tightened as he sneered at her.

"You really think you have me figured out. You know nothing!"

Sakura closed her eyes to try to get away from the Sharingan. Sasuke could feel himself going over the edge from the anger that boiled underneath his skin. When she opened her eyes again they were set in stone.

"Sasuke, I don't care if I don't know you. I've given you so many chances to let me in but you shut me out each time. I'm done with you. Done."

Something in him snapped when she spoke those words. He gazed at her trying to get the urge to silence her forever out of his mind. Sakura didn't look away from him. She noticed once again how close they were. His body was pressed against hers, his hot breath on her face. The electricity she always felt when he touched her traveled through her body.

They starred at each other, not being able to look away from the other. His breathing began to accelerate the longer they stayed in this position. Sakura's eyes widened as he leaned down closer to her lips. She nearly fainted when he brushed his lips against hers. The contact made her freeze. She stood there, her eyes wide while his lips moved against her frozen lips.

_'What is happening? Why is he kissing me? Did I do something to make him do this? He's going to hate me so much for this...isn't he?'_

**_'Stop worrying about that! Just be happy he's actually kissing you. Wow, his lips really do feel as soft as we imagined them.'_** Her inner stated, clearly in bliss.

She gasped when she felt his tongue slide along her lower lip. He took advantage of the opening in her mouth and slid his tongue inside her mouth. Sakura wanted to push him away in anger but she was utterly under his control. Letting her eyes close she began to melt into the kiss. Her fingers twitched from their place at her side.

Steadily she moved her hands up and lightly placed them in the opening of his shirt. Wind whipped against her face as the warmness she felt was suddenly gone. Sasuke was on the other side of the hallway, his eyes masked behind darkness. Sakura looked at him in confusion as he never once lifted his head.

"Sasuke..."

"...Shut up Sakura."

Sakura was stunned as she leaned against the wall once again. So...he was upset with it, with her for letting it happen.

_'I should have pushed away before he did. That way I wouldn't be feeling this rejection.'_

Sakura could see the strain in his arms as he clenched his hands into fists. Gulping she brought her eyes to the ground. Her eyes snapped up when she heard him begin to walk away from her. Her face hardened as she ran after him.

"You're the one that kissed me! What was that all about? And why are you so mad at me when I wasn't the one to do it."

Her annoyance grew when he didn't answer her. So she did the only thing she could do, follow him.

"I want to know why you kissed me darn it!" she shouted, her voice bouncing off the empty walls. Sasuke stopped in his tracks, not caring to turn back to look at her.

"It was a mistake," he paused; Sakura felt as though she was punched in the gut, "It will never happen again Sakura. Don't fill your heart with petty hopes and dreams. You are Orochimaru's and you will always be his. You mean nothing to me and you never will. I don't have time for you or for anyone else." His voice was detached of emotion as he spoke.

"Leave me alone. You're annoying."

Sakura planted her feet on the floor as he vanished from her eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes as she clenched her hands at her side. There was no way she was going to let this get to her. Purple chakra began to outline her figure as she bowed her head, allowing the darkness to consume her.

Orochimaru smiled from the corner of the hall as he watched Sakura. This was exactly what she needed. One little push from Sasuke would send her over the edge; make her want to become powerful enough to have him recognize her.

_'Good job Sasuke, you may have lower your guard for a different reason but you quickly recovered. There is no mistake that you have marked her heart and forever will.'_

His tongue licked his lips as the darkness grew around Sakura.

"Now you will come to me willingly."

Orochimaru turned around and walked slowly away from the girl down the hall. Sasuke was leaning against the entrance to his quarters as he walked up. Orochimaru could tell by the empty look in his eyes that he was trying desperately to hide something.

"The first step in our mission is complete. Although I never imagined you'd go to those measures to acquire her."

Sasuke didn't even beat an eyelid as he gazed emotionlessly at his Sensei.

"Hn."

That brought a smile to Orochimaru's lips.

"I let it slid this time Sasuke, but next time it happens I won't be so forgiving."

"There won't be a next time." Sasuke muttered profusely.

"For your sake I hope not."

Then he walked past Sasuke and into his chambers.

Sasuke's black eyes fell to the ground once Orochimaru was out of seeing range.

_'I'm such a fool.'_

_

* * *

_**A/N: **Wow, I am terribly sorry for the long delay for this chapter. Spring Semester started and I haven't had time to write. This chapter is really short and I apologize for that. Well, there we all have it, Sasuke kissed Sakura! But why? Was it for the mission Orochimaru gave him? Or because of something else? Teehee. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I realize its really short and I'll try to make the next one longer. I'm having some writers block so thats part of the reason its taking me so long to get the chapters out. If anyone has any idea feel free to tell me!

Oh, and I realize i said before that reviews dont' really matter but it is nice knowing people like the story and are reading. Please, please review! I won't hate you if you don't though. :D All right, thanks to all you guys that read and review deligently. I really apperiate it! And i have to thank Silver agian for being a great beta. Without her this story wouldn't exist nearly as well as it does.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The darkness of the room completely submerged him. Memories flashed in his mind, all the ones he tried to forget. All the memories of _her_. Coal eyes flashed with emotion he left locked away deep inside his heart. There was a reason why he left the village, why he left all his friends behind. Mist covered his eyes as he freely let the emotions come. Sasuke had never wanted to have anything distract him from achieving his revenge, and yet, while he was with Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura he felt his resolve fading. He was shocked to find himself wanting to forget about Itachi and his quest to bring justice to his clan. He found himself only wanting to protect the village and everyone in it. Sasuke dropped his head as a very significant memory surfaced.

_A sharp pain erupted in his skull as he slowly tilted his eyes open. It was then that all the memories came back about the fight he had had with Itachi, trying to stop him from taking Naruto, he failed--again. As he moved the white sheet that covered him fell as he sat up. Instantly warm arms embraced him._

_"Oh Sasuke, you're okay." His pink haired teammate hugged him gently. Sasuke was taken back as he leaned his head towards hers. She had been really worried about him, hadn't she? His eyes softened as he felt her tears hitting the sensitive place on his neck. He noticed Naruto sneak out of the room from the corner of his eye but didn't acknowledge it. A warm feeling began to build itself as he let her embrace him. He almost smirked at the thought that he actually didn't want her to let go._

_Tsunade had left the room, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to themselves._

_Sasuke never moved to embrace Sakura back but she seemed to be okay with that._

_"You have to promise never to scare me like that again." Sakura spoke, causing her warm breath to hit his neck. He wanted to tell her that he would never do anything to scare her but the words wouldn't come._

_Sasuke stiffened as she buried her face in his neck. Her lips touching the curse mark that was present there. Why did she care so much for him? Sasuke knew she liked him because of his looks but by the way she was holding him he realized it was something more, much more._

_More of her tears traveled down his skin. Sasuke had to stop himself from reaching out to touch her hair. After a few more minutes she pulled away, her cheeks were red from all her crying, as she smiled at him._

_"Thank you for being my friend."_

_Sasuke's mouth fell open as she pushed her hair back._

_"Well I'll go get you something to eat. Rest and get better." Then with a parting smile she left. Sasuke's eyes fell down to his hands. What were these new feelings that were suddenly flowing? Why did she affect him now? When he started to think of the times she had been threatened he got angry, real angry._

_Sasuke's eyes widened largely when he realized what was going on inside him. He was falling for her, and he was falling hard. He clenched his hands to stop them from shaking._

_"Sakura..." he whispered her name on his breath as he looked out the window._

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair which caused him to realize that he was shaking. Swallowing he tried to steady himself. He had to get a grip on his feelings before they overtook him and completely took over his hold on his goal.

Closing his eyes he began to take deep breaths. _In...Out...In...Out..._

There was a rapping at his door which he chose to ignore. The door began to creek open after a few moments.

"Lord Orochimaru would like you to take care of the pink haired girl that is causing rampage on some of the villagers. We've never seen her out of control like this." A shaky voice explained.

Sasuke opened one of his eyes to glare at the messenger. The messenger moved his eyes down to the ground.

"I know you don't like to be disturbed but--she's causing a lot of damage and...well, she's scary to be perfectly honest."

"Hn."

The messenger bowed his head as he shut the door behind him as he left. Sasuke sighed once the door was shut. What could she be doing to cause so much trouble?

_'She is starting to cause too much trouble. I'm starting to think that letting her go would be the best way to get rid of everything.'_

Walking towards the center of the compound he stopped in his tracks as he looked at all the damage that lay on the ground. The walls had huge holes in them every few yards from each other. There was a shout that caused his eyes to fly to where the voice came from.

He didn't show any reaction as he noticed the dark chakra that was gathered around her form. Steadily he walked over to her; she was pulling something from the man's hand.

"Sakura what in the world do you think you're doing?"

Her hateful green eyes landed on him as he spoke.

"Leave me alone."

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest, glaring at her.

"Tch."

Sakura threw the man down on the ground fiercely without a care in the world.

"You and your stupid answers are really starting to piss me off, _Sasuke-kun_."

Rolling his eyes he seemed indifferent which caused her to become even more annoyed. She stormed over to him and reached out and grabbed the side of his shirt, her face was inches away from his. Sasuke didn't flinch or show any reaction to her being so close to him. In a flash he had a Kunai against the skin of her neck.

Her eyes narrowed to slits as she felt him put pressure on it, causing a thin like of blood to drip down the blade. She began to search his eyes for any signs of regret for what he was doing. Her blood boiled as she saw that nothing was present in his eyes. He didn't care! Her hair began to rise from the amount of chakra that was flowing out of her body.

Sasuke smirked as her chakra began to whirl out of control.

_'So this is what Orochimaru has planned. I never would have thought that he'd be transferring some of his power to her every time he was with her. Things just got interesting.'_ He mused to himself.

The smirk that was on his lips made Sakura hiss.

"You think you're so good like you're a God. Well you'll be surprised to find that you aren't the only one that is special." She snarled her eyes turning dangerous.

She glared at him as she was pressed against the wall harshly. Her eyes were met with his blood red ones.

"Being rejected really affected you didn't it? And here I thought you were fully over your little crush."

"You think the world revolves around you when it doesn't!" She cut in sharply.

Sasuke's lips twitched up into a half smile.

"To me the world does revolve around me, but that's because I don't care about anyone else in this petty world."

"That's right you aren't capable of caring about anyone, that's why you'll always be alone." She snapped back.

Sasuke's smile stayed on his lips as the Sharingan began to spin slightly.

"At least I was able to leave everything behind. You are suffering now because of the bonds you have back in the village that you can't think about anything except them. I left because I needed to be alone, there's nothing in this world that can stop me from achieving my goal."

Sakura winced as he pressed the blade harder against her neck. The purple chakra was still around her body.

"You're just a monster Sasuke, and you always will be."

Sasuke pressed the blade even closer; a steady flow of blood began to fall onto the Kunai and onto his right hand.

"That's right Sakura, I'm a monster and that will never change."

Her eyes hardened and Sasuke's eyes shot up when he felt the chakra spike, before he could react he was thrown against the opposite wall. Blood flowed down her neck as her hair covered her face. Sasuke stood up from being thrown against the wall.

_'She's getting dangerous, I have to handle this before it gets out of hand.'_

Before he could reach out with his chakra the purple chakra around her faded until it was no longer present.

"I'm sorry Sasuke..." with that she turned around and without looking at anyone she walked into one of the openings.

There was a chuckle from behind Sasuke and he turned and glared at the man that was standing before him.

"Remarkable, isn't she? A little gift from me to her."

Sasuke looked at the place she disappeared from. Orochimaru smiled as he watched Sasuke.

"I'm sure you're beginning to realize what I have in store for her. I'm glad you are finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together."

Sasuke walked calmly to stand beside Orochimaru.

"I never thought you could get sicker than you already are, apparently I was wrong."

Orochimaru smiled his sinister smile.

"You have no idea of what I'm capable of, no idea."

Sasuke smirked in response, "And you in return have no idea of what I'm capable of."

Orochimaru continued to smile at his future vessel. When he didn't say anything Sasuke turned and walked away from him.

"That's one of the joys of you becoming my vessel, who knows how much unlocked power you have deep inside of you."

* * *

Sakura sucked in a deep breath of air. What had happened to her? Never in her life had she lost it like that before. Her hands shook as she gazed down at them. She had done so much damage with just these two hands--and she never once used a weapon. Gulping she looked around her room, she winced from the pain it caused in her neck where Sasuke had punctured her.

Her mind told her to heal it but she ignored the instinct. Sasuke had done this to her in order to make her stop being what she was becoming. In her rage she had egged him on and made matters worse. Green eyes turned sad as she thought of all the awful things she had said to him. She had called him a monster for the second time and...this time he didn't deny it.

"Sasuke...you aren't a monster--you're just lost in this darkness that has over taken your heart," she whispered to the room.

The tip of her fingers reached up to touch her lips. She could still feel the way his lips felt against hers. She smiled as she noticed that she could taste him still as well. Her smile faded as she also began to remember the way he had pulled away from her and scolded her, like it was all her fault!

_**'But you have to admit, even though he was a big pain in the butt he still was a good kisser...'**_ Her inner self chided, sighing.

Sakura shook her head lightly from side to side. He was a very good kisser even though she was pretty sure he had never kissed a girl in his life. Sakura sat up straight as she heard footsteps nearing her door.

The door opened slowly and Orochimaru stood in the doorway, grinning at her wickedly.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the show you put on out there."

She bowed her head, her pink hair covering her face like a curtain. Orochimaru walked into the room and shut the door gently behind him.

"You got under Sasuke's skin, I don't think he ever imagined you could become so..." he paused off searching for the word, "violent."

She cringed as the word left his mouth. She held her composure as he walked over to her and sat down on the bed next to her.

"How does it feel, knowing that you could out power him if you really tired?" he asked lightly, his snake like eyes blazing.

"Out power him? Ha! Don't make me laugh. He's ten times stronger than me and he'll continue to do so. I don't think anyone can out power him...except Naruto." Her voice lowered as he said her best friend's name.

Orochimaru began to chuckle, causing her to whip her head up to look at him.

"You really believe that Naruto could beat Sasuke? I hardly doubt he'd have the guts to go through with the killing blow. We both know that if they were to go up against each other for a second time that Naruto wouldn't be able to kill him. Sasuke on the other hand...I believe he could and would kill Naruto if it came down to it."

Sakura's heart sank at the words because she knew deep down inside that Sasuke really would kill him. Three years ago he came extremely close and she had yet to find out why he didn't go through with it.

Her skin crawled as Orochimaru's hand reached up and touched her slightly wet cheek.

"Why such the low face? It's a part of life to die."

"You don't want to die, if you really believed that than you wouldn't be preparing Sasuke to take his body." Sakura stated as he continued to trace the outline of her face.

Orochimaru smirked as his hand stopped his motion.

"There's just too many Jutsu in this world to learn, I can't afford to die."

Sakura stared into his eyes, not moving when he began to lean down towards her. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he neared her lips. The first time since she had been here she didn't pull away. When his lips touched hers a tear escaped her eye as the only image in her mind was Sasuke, kissing her only minutes before.

_'Sasuke...why are you denying what you feel? Can't you see that--deep down inside you want me just as much as I want you?'_

Her green eyes closed as she let Orochimaru take control. There was no point in fighting anymore--there was only one person worth fighting for and he didn't want her...never wanted her. Orochimaru put his arm around her and moved her so she was lying against the soft mattress. She opened her eyes slightly to look up at him. He smirked as he lowered his head again to place his lips on hers.

Yes...there was no reason left to fight.

* * *

Naruto's heart fell as he stopped in his tracks. Kakashi had to spin away from him, causing his Lightening blade to hit into a nearby tree. His heart was racing as he turned to look at Naruto, whom he almost killed because he let his guard down so abruptly.

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked over at Kakashi with defeated eyes.

"She gave up...I can feel it Kakashi-Sensei. Sakura..." Naruto looked down at the ground as the tears began to fall freely down his face, "gave up."

Kakashi lowered his eyes to the ground, closing his Sharingan eye.

"Maybe you just are thinking she did." Kakashi replied, trying his best not to believe Naruto's words.

Naruto shook his head, "No, I felt it...I know it seems crazy and stuff but me and Sakura...we're like brother and sister. We have this bond and--suddenly...I felt--defeated. She's defeated Kakashi-Sensei...somehow her strong spirit...was broken."

Naruto clenched his hands at his sides. There really was no time left, it was time to head out to find Sasuke and Sakura.

"Kakashi-Sensei, I know you wanted to wait until I mastered this new Jutsu but...we don't have time to sit here. Whether I'm ready or not it's time to move out. Sakura won't last much longer since her spirit was broken. I--we have to get to her, now."

Kakashi watched as the tears stopped flowing down his cheeks and saw his eyes cover over with a determined look. He couldn't help but let the small smile form on his lips, which was hidden behind his mask.

"All right Naruto. Let's get going."

* * *

Sasuke walked down the hallway and he closed his eyes as he heard the moans and groans coming from Sakura's room.

_'Don't let it affect you, just calmly walk away and go into your room where no one can bother you.'_ He glanced down at his feet, willing them to move.

_'I should be able to move my feet with no problems. Grr! This whole thing is seriously starting to get on my nerves, perhaps it would be best if I killed him now rather than waiting until I've learned everything I could from him...'_

The thought of killing Orochimaru was very appealing to say the least. It would be rewarding to see him glare in fear as Sasuke stood over him, getting ready to give the killing blow. Another moan escaped the room and Sasuke turned and glared at the door. His Sharingan spun rapidly as he willed himself not to break the door down and to reek havoc to a certain man in the room.

Taking a deep breath to calm his mind he was able to move down the hall, leaving the distance echo of moans behind him.

Sasuke entered his room; his eyes still a blood red. No one got away with touching what was his, _no one_.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the time it took to update. Had a little bit of writers block but then this chapter came about. I really have to say this is one of my favorite chapters so far. Anyway, I don't want to ramble a lot in this note so I'll just let you review and tell me what you think. Just wanted to thank my beta again, Silver! Totally amazing!! And of course I want to thank the faithful readers and reviewers of this story.

Tiger Pristess

Sasuke is Hot 0012

White Moon Princess

There are others of you I am sure but I dont' have time to write you all down. Sorry!! But just know that all your reviews are apperiated and loved! I love finding out what people thought of my story. Please keep reading! Have a great week everyone! Until next Sunday.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sakura groaned as Kabuto poked and prodded her. His face was composed with deep curiosity as he examined her.

"I have to admit, I am extremely jealous of the power that you are receiving from Lord Orochimaru."

"You can have it then." Sakura spitted darkly.

Kabuto chuckled as he pulled his rubber gloves off his hands.

"Even his attitude is wearing off on you."

Sakura glared at him darkly as he walked over to his computer that was sitting on his desk.

"So, what's wrong with me?" she asked, annoyed.

Kabuto looked up at her from over the computer screen.

"Nothing horrible if that's what you're wondering. I'll have to do some test on the blood sample I took from you but we should have the results in a few hours."

Sakura nodded her head as she stood up from the table she was sitting on.

"Do you need anything else from me?" she asked coldly.

Kabuto shook his head, "Not for the moment. You may go now. I realized that I took too long and now you're late for your training with Sasuke. Have fun with that, but take it easy, you're still very weak from the events that took place last night. Who knows what could happen if you exhausted your own chakra."

Sakura held up her right wrist to show the bracelet.

"Well that wouldn't be my fault, now would it?"

"Ah I see you are still upset about having to wear the bracelet, do not worry, Lord Orochimaru is considering taking it off. He said you showed improvement last night." He replied with a smirk on his face.

Sakura turned away from him as she stormed out of the office. Her anger flared as she neared the training grounds. She had no idea why she was so angry but—she was. When she entered the room her eyes gazed around the vast space in front of her. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmph, and he gets irritated when I'm late. Now looks like he's the late one."

There was a soft voice that spoke from behind her. How had she missed this person's presence?

"Are you looking for Sasuke-sama?"

Sakura swiftly moved so she was facing the pink faced girl. Who was this girl anyway?

Sakura had never seen her here before.

The girl flinched at the sudden movement from Sakura. Sakura starred deeply at the girl, trying to look into her soul.

"Do you know where he is?" she asked slowly.

The girl nodded her head, her light blue hair cascading down her shoulders. Sakura never took her eyes off the girls light red ones.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"I don't know if I should trust you." The girl mumbled lowly.

_'Trust me? What could she be hiding?'_

Sakura eyes narrowed in thought.

The girl's vision clouded as she looked into Sakura's alarming green eyes.

"I'm the only one he trusts with this information but…he's…not himself right now. I'm worried…" her small voice trailed off.

"Why are you worried about him? I promise you he'd never be worried about you, it isn't in his abilities." Sakura scoffed.

The girl tilted her head downward.

"Even if Sasuke-sama could never show his emotions I know deep down that he cares…"

Sakura was intrigued by this girl and what she was saying. Why would she be saying such things about Sasuke of all people?

"Why don't you tell me where he is and I'll see if he's okay. We used to be old friends."

Sakura reasoned calmly, the anger leaving her expression.

The small girl's eyes turned to look into Sakura's. They stayed that way for a while, simply trying to read what the other was trying to hide under the surface.

"Whenever Sasuke-sama gets stressed or upset he gets away from the base…he goes outside and he has this certain spot that no one has been able to find."

"Even when we switch bases?" Sakura prodded.

The girl shook her head.

"Only when we are here…when we move there are other places."

Sakura nodded her head once indicating that the girl should go on.

"Go out through the left entrance into the hideout walk a few paces until you reach a river that runs softly. Once you arrive at the river turn left and follow the river bank. You will see a grove of trees and above it will be a mountain pass. He goes up there to think…that's where you'll find him." The girl closed her eyes as the information left her lips.

Sakura could feel the worry wash over the small girl that had to have been no older than 7.

"Thank you…what's your name?"

The girl opened her light red eyes as she looked up at Sakura; she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a stern voice.

"Yuki! What are you doing out here? You know that you aren't allowed out of your room unless I come for you."

Sakura glared as Kabuto came into view. Yuki spun around on her hills so she was facing Kabuto.

"I-I'm sorry Kabuto-sama…I…"

"No need to come up with excuses, come, it's time we had your medical treatment."

Kabuto turned around and began to walk down the hall way. Yuki followed him as she looked over her shoulder to look at Sakura. Then as in slow motion she turned her gaze away from her as she faded into the darkness of the hallway.

Sakura had this sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach. What kind of treatment would Kabuto be giving to a young child? She shook her head as she filed away the new information. She didn't have time to be worrying about that. Right now she had to find Sasuke and give him a piece of her mind.

* * *

_Huff…Huff…Huff…_

"Why did he have to choose a place that is so high up?" Sakura wined softly so no one would hear. Her gaze fell upon all the beautiful trees as she walked. It wasn't like Sasuke to enjoy the scenery, most of the time he just walked past it, not even caring about it.

Sakura came to a halt when she saw a figure in front of her. He was sitting with his back against a big oak tree. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be meditating.

A small smile formed on her lips as she stood still, gazing at him. The wind blew in his raven locks making her jealous. She wanted to be the one that was blowing through his hair, her fingers curling around each strand…

Shaking her head she began to walk towards him. She knew without a doubt that he knew she was present and yet that didn't stop her. In fact she thought it was odd that he hadn't said anything by now.

"Sasuke…what are you doing out here?"

He didn't move a muscle; he just stayed in the same sitting position.

Sakura sighed as she lowered herself on the ground next to him. His eyebrow rose at this but he still didn't open his eyes. She reached down and started to pull at some of the grass.

"You know you're going to kill the grass if you keep doing that."

Sakura's head snapped up to look at Sasuke. His eyes were still closed but there was a smirk present on his face.

"It'll always grow back." She mumbled.

Sasuke with his eyes closed responded, "So why are you here? I'm guessing Yuki told you where I was, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to find me."

"About Yuki…why are you so nice to her?" Sakura asked softly, her hair falling in front of her face.

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Who says I'm nice to her?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

"She told me that you did. I was just wondering how she was able to get…you to care about her." Sakura finished lamely.

Sasuke let a sigh escape his lips. Everything with Sakura was drama; there was never a moment when there wasn't any.

"We need to talk about it Sasuke…the kiss."

He stiffened visibly next to her. Why did she have to bring this up? Hadn't he made it clear to her that it didn't mean anything?

"I know it didn't mean anything to you but…last night when Orochimaru came into my room…and while he was kissing me…all I could think of was you and the way it felt when you were kissing me."

Sasuke turned his head so he was looking at her fully. Did he just hear that right? Was he going deaf? Did she just say she thought of him while she was kissing the freak Orochimaru?

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not." He stated.

Sakura's eyes widened as she turned her gaze to his cold one.

"No, it's good I promise. I…I guess it helped me to get through the night."

"You gave into him last night."

"Wha--?"

Sasuke smirked as he leaned his head against the tree.

"I heard you guys, you were moaning in pleasure and so was he."

Sakura closed her eyes as she took deep breaths.

"The only reason why I was doing anything of the sort was because I was thinking of it being you. I know that's wrong but I couldn't help it. But yes, I did give in because after the kiss…and after you made it something that didn't mean anything I just…I gave up. I've been holding on to you forever and…I need to let you go, since you're never going to let me in."

Sasuke turned his gaze in front of him.

"Good."

Sakura lowered her head towards the ground.

"I'm sorry that I attacked you yesterday…I was just so…furious."

"No need to apologize, it isn't your fault that your getting new power you can't control." Sasuke stated simply.

Sakura began to fiddle with her hands. She was nervous, Sasuke could tell.

"Will you…still be my friend?" she asked awkwardly.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again.

"No."

Sakura bit her lip as she fought the anger that was suddenly rising inside of her.

"Is it because of the way I attacked you?"

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sure you'd rather it have it be that reason. But no, the reason why is because you need to learn not to rely on people. No one can help you but yourself."

Sakura smirked, "Funny, you should have listened to your own advice instead of leaving the Hidden Leaf to work with Orochimaru."

Sasuke stood up and walked a few steps away from her.

"You really think I like being here, don't you?"

Sakura gazed up at his back shocked. What other reason would he have?

"Uhm…well—you stay here so yeah."

Sasuke was silent for a few moments. When he opened his mouth he sighed.

"That's not the reason why I stay. Yuki…she's the only one that really knows."

Sakura looked down at the ground to his feet. She was memorizing the way his sandals clung to his ankles.

"I can't believe I find myself jealous of a little child. She must really be something special if you turn to her."

Sasuke closed his eyes wanting the feelings to fade away that were coming out of his cold heart. Why had she come here?

"Orochimaru and Kabuto have been testing on her. She has a rare ability and they have been trying to hone it so they can possess it."

Sakura gasped as she bounced up on her feet. Her hands where clenched into fists.

"Why? Why would they do something like that?"

Sasuke turned around to look her in the eye.

"Orochimaru wants to learn new Jutsu so it requires sacrifices."

"How can you just stand by and watch it happen? Letting Orochimaru have his way with me is one thing but letting him torture an innocent child, it's unbearable!"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't really care what he does."

"Then why are you being so nice to her? You realize that once Orochimaru has what he wants from her he's just going to kill her, why get close to her?" Sakura was shaking with uncontrolled anger.

Sasuke looked up at the leaves that swung in the wind.

"I may be heartless but I believe that even someone that is going to die young should be able to have some good in its life."

Sakura fell silent as her arms fell to her side. She gazed at Sasuke and didn't hold herself back from walking towards him. Once she reached him she stretched out her hand and placed it on his shoulder. Sasuke turned his eyes so he was looking at her; he had a look of uncertainty.

"You're really still there, aren't you?" she whispered in awe.

Sasuke didn't say anything but he couldn't help the reflex to pull away from the contact. Sakura left her hand outstretched as he pulled away. She was smiling softly as he glared at her.

"You need to stop having faith in me. I'm long lost, so just forget it."

Sakura shook her head as her hand fell to her heart. She was fiddling with something that was around her neck. Sasuke couldn't stop his eyes from traveling to what she was fiddling with. He stumbled backward when he realized what it was.

"When did you—"

Sakura glanced down at the object she held in her hand that was hanging off a silver chain.

"I knew you'd be angry if you found out I went snooping…but…when you left the village 3 years ago—I couldn't stop myself any longer. I had to know what you felt," she took a deep breath as she prepared herself for his wrath that was sure to come, "So when you were gone and after Naruto came back…I went to the Uchiha mansion…"

Sasuke gulped as he leaned against the tree. Why would she be bringing this pain back to him? Wasn't it enough pain with her just here with him, knowing he couldn't have her?

Her emerald eyes left what she was looking at so she could gauge his reaction.

"While I was in the mansion I came across the room I guessed was your parents. Walking inside it I knew this was one of the rooms you refused to enter, everything was left untouched—dust was gathering on everything and the bed was still left unmade."

Sasuke closed his eyes as he lowered his head towards the ground. Sakura's heart quenched at the pain she was causing him just by talking about his parents. Her eyes began to fill with tears but she shook her head, making the tears vanish, she had to finish what she was telling him.

"I began to thumb through the dresser that must have been your mothers. While I was looking I came across something that made me gasp. It was so beautiful…everything about it. And the best part was…it was a part of you."

She noticed when he clenched his hands at his sides into fists. Closing her eyes she wished that he would understand.

"I picked it up and when it caught the moonlight I knew I had to have it. I realize it was wrong to take it in the first place but let's be honest. Do you have any intentions of going back to the village?"

When Sasuke didn't move or say anything her mouth formed a straight line.

"I didn't think so," glancing down once again at the necklace she smiled, "I've worn it ever since that day I took it. Your mother…she must have been a really great person."

Slowly she let her hand fall down from the necklace.

"Sasuke…please look."

When he didn't move his head she took a few steps so she was standing beside him. Reaching out she took his chin in her right hand, forcing him to lift his eyes from the ground. Sasuke looked into her emerald eyes as she held his chin.

"Even if you're angry with me it's better than not knowing what's going on through your head." She stated softly.

Sasuke eyes drifted down, tracing the silver chain. When it landed on the charm that was hanging off the end he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had a feeling it was that but he was hoping beyond all belief that it wasn't. Opening his eyes again he lifted his hand and reached out to grasp the small locket.

It was a simple round silver locket with the Uchiha symbol in the middle made of red rubies and diamonds. He flipped it over in his hand to look what was inscribed on the back of the locket.

_With lots of love, Fugaku, Itachi and Sasuke._

Sakura watched Sasuke's reaction intensely. She didn't flinch when his gaze turned hard; she figured it turned hard once he read his brother's name on the locket.

Reaching up with his other hand he took the locket between the two and opened the clasp gently, almost reverently. The clasp opened with a click and he folded it out in front of him like a book. Sitting in the two sides of the locket were pictures. One of Sasuke's father and his mother, the other one of Sasuke and Itachi. Itachi was gazing up at Sasuke who was on his back with a huge grin on his face.

Sakura watched as Sasuke put his mask back on. Her heart slowed as she realized he was locking that part away from her, again.

"We gave that to my mother…and then the next day Itachi…" his gaze hardened once again, his eyes filling with hate, "killed them."

Sakura half closed her eyes as Sasuke shut the locked softly. He let his hands fall back down to his sides.

"Can't you see why I have to kill him?"

Sakura shook her head as she answered his question, "No, revenge isn't going to make the pain go away…it isn't going to make everything go back to the way it was before the massacre happened. It won't _fix _anything."

Sasuke smirked as he gazed into her eyes once again.

"We're still so different."

Sakura reached out and grasped onto his shirt desperately.

"But it doesn't have to be that way. Why can't you just come back with me? Why can't you let everything go and come back to the village? Everyone back there would welcome you back…"she was beginning to get desperate and she knew it.

Sasuke reached up and placed his hands on her hands, slowly he began to pull at them, trying to get her hold to loosen.

"If I go back they'll kill me. You know that, I know it. So there's no point in going back even if I wanted to."

"I'll…I'll talk to Tsunade—she's my mentor and she listens to me. I'll get her to understand."

"You can't fix this Sakura. Its time you really gave up on me."

Sakura shook her head again.

"No Sasuke, I gave up on you once and here I am again, asking you to reconsider. Asking you…to let me in…even if I have to go with you to kill Itachi…just please—don't leave me behind again."

Sasuke smirked at the spark of an old memory.

"Are you going to make me knock you out again?"

Sakura stiffened at the horrible memory that surfaced in her mind, lowering her gaze she looked at his chest.

"I don't want to relive that…" she mumbled.

"Then let me go Sakura."

Her hands began to tremble as she bit her lip. Sasuke had to fight back the urge to reach out and engulf her in his arms. It was better for her this way.

_'Better if she doesn't know…doesn't see, how much she means to me.'_

Sakura let her hands leave the folds of her shirt but before Sasuke could move away she had her arms around his neck, bringing him down to her level.

"I'm not letting you get away this time." She whispered, the hotness of her breath hitting his lips. Sasuke was in shock and couldn't react.

Before he could regain his composure she crashed her lips to his. Sasuke's eyes widened as she moved to deepen the kiss. Right now Sasuke had one of two options…push her away, or give in and completely get blown away by what was happening.

_"I forgave you this time…but next time I might not be so forgiving."_ Orochimaru's voice entered his head making him close his eyes. Giving into his desires would cause her death.

After a few moments of kissing he reached out and pulled her away from him. They were both breathless and she was currently as red as a tomato.

"Sakura…"

"No, don't say it." Sakura whispered urgently. She was backing away from him as she spoke. Sasuke watched as her back hit a tree.

"You have to see that…we can't…"

"Why can't we?!" she shouted, "I don't see what could be stopping us."

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair.

"For one I'm not good at this kind of thing. Another thing is Orochimaru." He put in before she could utter her reply.

At the mention of Orochimaru Sakura looked at the ground.

"He's already told everyone that you are his and his alone." Sasuke continued, "If I did anything…anything at all to make him think that I was—with you he would…he would kill you."

Sakura turned her head so she was looking at a small pink flower that was growing in the grass.

"Besides if those weren't reasons enough there is still the whole thing with me killing Itachi. I'm telling you right now that I will not come back to the village until that is finished, if I even come back at all."

Sakura was biting her lip as he gave her all the reasons why they couldn't let anything happen between them.

"What about your other dream?" her voice was so low that Sasuke barely caught on. He smirked when she asked this.

"That is a dream that is going to have to be put on hold until I finish off Itachi. I can't be restoring my clan while he is still alive and roaming the earth. He'd just come back and kill…you."

Sakura snapped her eyes back up to his. Did he just really say that?

"So…you'd only be with me because I'm the only girl you can actually stand to bear your children?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"Would that be such a bad reason? What, do you expect me to fall in love with you or something?" he seemed amused by the idea.

Sakura smiled sadly as she looked up at the sky, it was now beginning to darken.

"I guess I'll take what I can get. But—Sasuke…I'm not afraid of Orochimaru. It's not like he's always around anyway…"

"What are you saying?" Sasuke asked suspiciously as he raised an eyebrow.

She began to blush as she played with her fingers.

"Can't we…you know, when he's not around?"

Sasuke couldn't stop the chuckle that left his mouth. This girl must really want his attention or something if she was willing to run the cost of Orochimaru finding out.

"Hmn."

Sakura smiled shyly at him as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink.

"Can I take that as a yes?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he turned around and headed down back towards the base.

"Whatever."

Sakura smiled as she jogged to keep with his big strides. She gazed up at his stone face and couldn't help but giggle.

_'I guess our Sasuke really does still have his old self in there. It just took a little digging but I have a feeling he'll be much more open with me from now on. I can't believe how happy he made me; even if his answer was tainted it still wasn't a no. I'm one step closer to having him come home.'_

When Sakura wasn't looking at him Sasuke gazed at her from the corner of his eye.

_'What have you gotten yourself into? Being with Sakura won't be such a bad thing but…if Orochimaru finds out it's just something he could use to his advantage. It's time to take care of him…and soon.'_

_

* * *

_**A/N: **Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, there was a problem with my internet and my Beta, Silver, didnt' recieve my email from last week. But no worries, I sent it to her today and she got it back to me, see how amazing she is?!?!

So not much else to ramble about so please review!! I love hearing what you guys think. Okay, well, push the review button, until chapter 12 is finished, which should be in a few days, tatta!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Naruto stopped short when he realized Kakashi was dragging behind a little.

"Kakashi Sensei, is everything okay?"

Kakashi landed smoothly beside him, sweat was evident on his face.

"I don't have as much chakra and stamina as you Naruto, but I'm doing my best to keep up with your vigorous pace."

Naruto felt a tint of guilt as he looked at his old Sensei. Awkwardly he ran his hand through his hair, chuckling.

"Well in that case I'm willing to take a short break. I have a feeling we're close to Sakura anyway."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow.

"Oh do you?"

Naruto continued to rub his head.

"Well yeah."

Kakashi leaned against the tree branch, never taking his eyes off Naruto.

"Would you care to explain that to me?"

Naruto glanced off into the distance as he got lost in his thoughts.

"I don't know…I just have this feeling their close."

"Let's hope your right Naruto."

* * *

Sasuke took a bite from his food as he felt the familiar chakra. Stopping short he let his gaze cloud over. Orochimaru was sitting next to him; he raised his eyebrow as he watched the look come across Sasuke's face.

"What do you see?"

Sasuke's eyes cleared as he glanced at Orochimaru.

"We're going to be having company soon."

Orochimaru smiled as he licked his lips.

"Perhaps it's time we leave."

Sasuke snorted as he leaned against his chair.

"You're scared so you're going to run with your tail between your legs?"

Orochimaru chuckled as he saw the impatience on Sasuke's face.

"Not at all but Sakura isn't ready to meet up with her old teammates again. You may be itching for a fight with the famous Naruto but we can't afford for her to turn against us."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he seriously doubted she would be so willing to leave, especially after what went on between them only hours ago. Orochimaru analyzed his face trying to read what was hidden beneath the surface.

"Unless you've succeeded in turning her…" Orochimaru replied lightly.

Sasuke glared at him as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm getting closer but she still hasn't voiced that she'd stay by your side even if Naruto comes."

Orochimaru's eyes shined as he realized just how close she really was to committing herself to him.

"Well…Kabuto and I are going to be heading out to see just how close they really are. I'll leave it up to you to turn her before I come back in the afternoon tomorrow."

Sasuke glared at him as he stood up and began to walk out of the room. Orochimaru stopped when Sasuke spoke.

"You really think that's enough time to change her? She's like a horse; it's going to be hard to break her spirit."

Orochimaru looked at Sasuke from over his shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to break the horse in." Then with that he walked out of the room leaving Sasuke sitting in his chair. Sasuke smirked as he looked down at his plate of food.

'_You really shouldn't have given me this assignment. But you're a fool, aren't you, Orochimaru?' _

After a few minutes of sitting there Sasuke stood up and left the room. Closing his eyes he searched for Orochimaru's chakra and was happy to find he was no longer in the base.

As he walked down the hallway he stopped and glanced up at the ceiling. His eyes were met by ultra green eyes; a pout was evident on her face.

"I can never sneak up on you, can I?"

Sasuke smirked as he reached up and flicked her on the forehead. She groaned as she flipped down from the ceiling.

"That was uncalled for mister."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders showing he could really careless about what he did. Sakura followed him as he began to walk again.

"So, how was eating with your Sensei?"

Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Same as usual."

Sakura bit her lip as her gaze fell to the ground.

"He went after them, didn't he?"

"After who?" Sasuke thought it would be good to play dumb at the moment. Sakura's eyes hardened as she realized this.

"You know who I'm talking about. Ever since I've received parts of Orochimaru's powers I've been able to sense things that I haven't before. I know Naruto and Kakashi Sensei are nearby."

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Sakura fumbled for words as she tried to keep up with Sasuke's pace.

"I was thinking of running out of here and going to them, but then something stopped me, well, more of a someone."

Sasuke opened the door to his room and entered; once Sakura was inside he shut the door behind him.

"Maybe it'd be best if you did go."

Sakura gazed at him like he sprouted a second head.

"Are you kidding me? There is no way in hell I'm leaving you once I got you to admit that you have some feelings for me."

Sasuke grunted as he took off the sword that he always carried with him. Placing it against the wall he turned and walked to his bed where he sat down. Sakura walked over to him but didn't sit down, her arms were folded and Sasuke knew another blow out was sure to happen.

"Either you leave now or you swear your loyalty to Orochimaru."

"But he doesn't even have your loyalty so why should I give him mine?" Sakura hissed through clenched teeth.

Sasuke's eyes never moved away from her face. He couldn't help but get entranced by her green eyes that looked at him with wonder and pure loyalty. But why would she give him that loyalty when she knew perfectly well that he could turn against her.

"I already told you that I'm not going back to the village."

"But when you kill Itac—"

"—I don't know if I'll ever go back Sakura. You have to come to terms with that. If you really want to have a life with me you're going to have to give up the village and everyone in it, including Naruto."

Sakura's arm fell down from her chest in pure shock.

"You're asking me to leave everything behind…to hurt Naruto again with leaving him? I'm the only family he has left since you decided to leave the village three years ago. He considers you his brother and he'll go to any lengths to get you back. Don't you see that? I know you care about him too you're just too stubborn to admit it."

Sasuke's eyes hardened dangerously when she finished. Sakura never backed down even though her heart rate picked up when he glared at her like that. Swallowing she took a few steps back.

"You probably want me to leave right now." Her voice was low, defeated. Sasuke didn't answer but the look he gave her was answer enough. Turning around she walked to the door but she hesitated once her hand touched the doorknob. Her eyes never left the door in front of her as she spoke.

"I'll think about it Sasuke…then I'll give you my answer." Without waiting for a reply she walked out of the room and shut the door softly behind her. Sasuke starred after her as he grunted and fell onto the bed, his eyes locked on the ceiling.

"_Why do you go so far for me Naruto?" his eyes were looking into the clear blue water that was underneath him. _

"_Because—for me this is the first bond I've ever had." _

_Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief, what was Naruto trying to say? _

"_You're right I don't know what it's like to have parents or a brother. But when I'm with Iruka Sensei I can't help but wonder if that's what it's like to have a father. And then…when I'm with you…" Naruto paused to take a deep breath, "I can't help but wonder if that's what it's like to have a brother." _

_Sasuke's eyes continued to stay wide. 'Why? Why Naruto, first Sakura and then you. I can't stand this…can't you see it was already hard for me to leave?' _

_Pulling out his headband Sasuke tied it around his head. _

"_It's just too late Naruto." _

_Sasuke watched as Naruto's expression became gloomier and gloomier. _

'_I can't go back, I sold myself to Orochimaru and now I have to follow through with it. I __**have **__to kill my brother…I just have too…' _

"_Let's finish this up Naruto. No more words the only communication will be between our fists." _

_Naruto gazed up at the headband that was present on Sasuke's head. _

"_What's up with the headband?" _

"_I'll admit you're strong, but you're strong because you know what it's like to be alone like I do. Loneliness is what makes us strong," pointing with his thumb towards his headband, "But the same thing goes, you'll never get a scratch on my forehead." _

_Cracking his log he was standing on he used one of the pieces and tossed it at the one Naruto was perched on. _

"_Come Naruto! If that's the way you feel then I'll just have to sever that bond!" _

_Naruto regained his balance and looked on at Sasuke with dread. _

"_Just like that huh? You're going to sever the bond between us; it really means nothing to you, does it?" _

_Sasuke pushed away the conscience that was urging him to listen to Naruto's words, to walk back to the village with him and to have the happy life he always wanted. He would have a brother that looked up to him and he would also have a girl that loved him more than her own life. He squashed the feeling; he didn't have time to consider all the things that could have been. _

_His Sharingan blazed as he motioned Naruto towards him. Naruto's eyes hardened at the gesture. _

"_I can't stand the thought of someone like Orochimaru having you! I'll bring you back to the village even if I have to break every bone in your body!" _

_And then he lunged forward. _

Sasuke rubbed his eye as he pushed the rest of the memory away. Having Sakura here was making him feel all the feelings he felt back when he was in the village. All the confusion was coming back. Grunting he sat up and put his head in his hands.

Why couldn't they understand that taking revenge was something he just had to do? Why were they still chasing after him, all these years, when they could have been using that time to make themselves stronger?

Why in the world did they care so much about him? Sasuke barely thought of them during the time he was training with Orochimaru, there was no time for it. Sasuke smiled when he realized that was a lie. There was one person he had thought about the whole time he was here…even though he tried hard _not _to think of her.

Sakura had been the only person who had been willing to come with him, the only one that really tried to understand his pain that he was going through. And he still left her on a cold bench to fend for herself.

"You make me sick." He grumbled to no one but himself. Lifting his head he looked off in the direction where his sword stood. His thoughts drifting off to the young pink haired girl that caught his heart so many years ago.

* * *

Sakura was in the kitchen making herself a late night snack. It had been a few hours since she left Sasuke in his room. With a frown she pulled out a rotted apple.

"Well this isn't sanitary."

She spun around to see a shadowy figure standing in the darkness. She could sense the hatred that was coming off the person. As if in slow motion the figure walked out of the darkness. Sakura had to hold back a smirk when she saw the familiar face.

Ariana was apparently back and well from the hospital. It had taken Kabuto longer to heal her then he originally thought.

Folding her arms across her chest Ariana glared at her.

"I'm going to kill you."

Sakura looked mildly amused.

"I'm sorry, you're going to what?"

Ariana took a few more steps so she was closer to Sakura.

"You heard me." She snarled.

Sakura put her finger on her chin as she looked away from the angry girl.

"Well let's see how I feel about that. Not only will I beat you but you'd have to deal with Orochimaru, wouldn't you?"

Ariana's eyes turned dangerous.

"He wouldn't know it came from me, there are hundreds of girls here that want to give you a one way ticket to hell."

"Do they? What have I ever done to any of them?"

"You came here and instantly took Sasuke away. He was cold before sure, but at least we knew that he would come to us for pleasure one day. But now…you're here and we can all see it."

Sakura leaned against the kitchen counter.

"See what exactly?" her eyes narrowed as she asked the question.

"How he feels about you. He only trains with you and," Ariana lifted her finger before Sakura could argue, "You're the only girl he has ever tried to protect."

Sakura smirked as she finally understood.

"The only reason he's doing any protecting is because Lord Orochimaru commanded him too. You really need to learn the facts before you go accusing."

Ariana lips went into a straight line.

"I don't care about the details. All I know is that you put me in the hospital for 3 freakin' months and that suddenly you are the only one Sasuke cares about. If you're going to stay here you're going to have to learn how to share him or back off."

Sakura tilted her head back slightly.

"Share him? Haven't seen Sasuke lately? He has no interest in any girl at the moment. Nor do I think he'll ever."

Ariana flipped her hair so it was behind her.

"This is war Sakura, I'm going to have Sasuke whether you want me to or not."

Then with a spin on her heel she walked out of the kitchen. Sakura had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she saw that she really meant it. Shaking her head she smiled.

'_If its war you want then I'll give you war. Sasuke is mine and no one is going to have him.' _

Picking up her plate of food she made her way into the vacant dining room. The chair she chose to sit in was red and the cushions where big and comfortable. She sighed as she fell down into it. Picking up her chop sticks she began to eat. Once she was finished she placed her plate in the sink and walked down the long deserted hallway.

It was late in the evening and she didn't feel like sleeping.

'_This is the only time Orochimaru has left me alone…I don't know if I want to spend the night alone…' _

'_**Yeah you want to spend it with Sasuke-kun!' **_Her inner shouted in pure bliss.

Sakura shook her head, a blush coming to her cheeks.

'_I do not, I made Sasuke mad at me earlier and I don't think he'd want to see me. Besides we just barely told each other that we liked each other…spending the night with him would push him over the edge.' _

'_**Well…he even told us that he only wanted us to create his children…I guess that wasn't a very positive thing…'**_

'_I wouldn't say that. It's taking the first step in the right direction. This is the only way to get him to fall in love with us.' _

'_**So what's stopping you from going into his room? I doubt he'd throw you out.' **_

Sakura found herself standing in front of his bedroom door. Could she really go in there, could she really give herself to him fully? Well the last question was stupid, of course she could. It was Sasuke for crying out loud!

Her hand shook as she pressed it to the doorknob. Twisting it to the left she put her weight against it, making the door creak open. His room was covered in darkness and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust.

Once they did she could make out his figure sitting on his bed, his hands on his head.

"Sasuke?"

He didn't even acknowledge her when she softly shut the door behind her. Sakura put her hand against her cheek as she looked at him. It seemed like he had been sitting in that position for a while now. Why would he be like that? It isn't like him.

He moved slightly when he felt that she was only a few inches away from him. Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest as she reached out and placed her left hand in his black locks. When he didn't pull away from her in disgust she began to run her hand through his hair.

'_I've wanted to touch him like this for so long…oh Sasuke…' _

She fell down on her knees but still kept her hand moving through his hair. She looked at his face but she couldn't see much. The darkness was masking him so she couldn't see his eyes.

"Are you okay?" her voice was soft as she spoke.

"You should go to Naruto."

She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. It wasn't harsh or angry…it was just the opposite. It was…sad.

"I—Sasuke…I don't…" she turned her head away, her hand stopping its motion as she did so.

He sat up straight which caused her hand to fall from its place on his head.

"You want to go back to the village and I'm going to help you."

"But Orochimaru…"

"He'll live. Besides you don't really want to be here, you don't want to have to fight against the people you love."

Sakura closed her eyes as she brought her arms up to circle herself.

'_There is so much going on…how could I leave him? But...if I don't then…that would mean I would have to fight against the Hidden Leaf. I don't know what to do! I __**should **__go back home, I __**should **__take this lifetime opportunity and run before he changes his mind. But…even though I know I should do all those things, I don't want to leave him. Not here in this evil place with no one to turn to, with no one that really cares about him.' _

She stood up with her eyes still on the cold hard floor. Sasuke watched her intently as she stood there not saying anything. Suddenly she moved and she was standing in front of him, her arms resting at her sides. Her black mini skirt and pink tank top were visible to his eyes.

'_What is she up to?'_

"I…Sasuke…" she bit her bottom lip as her eyes revolved around the room. A sign of nervousness.

'_Why would she be nervous? Doesn't she realize that this is her chance to go back home, to go back to Naruto?' _

Her eyes finally met his and she didn't look away. A deep burning began to fill his body as he was entranced in her eyes. He didn't move as she advanced even more towards him. He swallowed when she moved so she was now straddling him.

"Sasuke…I don't want…." Her breathing was labored as she never looked away from his black eyes. He couldn't help but look at her exposed flesh on her neck. Everything was screaming for him to touch her, to give into the growing need to have her.

Sakura put her arms around his shoulders as she leaned so her lips were almost touching his.

"I can see the want in your eyes…why are you fighting it?"

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly before answering, "Because I don't want you to…regret anything."

Sakura smiled as she pressed her lips to his softly, temptingly.

"Can't you see that I want you to? No need to hold back Sasuke, because…I choose you, not Naruto and not the village. You, I want to stay here with you and I want you to have me…all of me, right now."

Sasuke found his hands were now touching her waist and they were slowly pulling her shirt up. Sakura gasped at the feeling of his skin touching hers.

"I'm letting it all go then, I'll have you and…you'll have me." Sasuke spoke softly in her ear, causing tremors to go throughout her body.

Sakura pulled his head back so she could press her lips to his hungrily. She moaned when he responded back with just as much vigor as she had given.

Sasuke snaked his arms around her waist as he lifted her up to set her on the bed under him. Sakura looked up into his eyes as their lips separated.

'_This is what I've always wanted. I can now have Sasuke…and maybe soon, he'll let me in his heart.' _

Her arms wound up, her fingers tangling in his hair.

"Don't hold back."

At her words Sasuke lunged down to her lips once again.

* * *

Kakashi slammed on his brakes as Naruto suddenly stopped in his pursuit again.

"What is it now?" as the question left his mouth he felt the same thing Naruto did. They were no longer alone. Whipping around they were instantly on their guard. Naruto's whiskers on his face began to grow to a dark black. Kakashi realized what this change meant.

"Naruto don't lose your cool, we'll get through this just keep a level head."

The canine teeth began to grow as Naruto's eyes turned a deadly red.

"You want me to be cool when I can feel _his _presence, the one that caused all these problems for us in the first place?"

Kakashi turned to look at Naruto and his eye widened. Naruto was talking about Orochimaru; he was becoming even more in tune with things than he was.

"If what you are saying is true then you really need to get your emotions under control. Who knows what will happen if you start to lose it even more than you are now."

"He took Sasuke…and now he has Sakura, I'm gonna rip his throat out!"

The nervous feeling began to build up in Kakashi's chest as he watched Naruto. The Nine-Tailed Fox spirit was beginning to get a strong grip on Naurto. Kakashi watched as the expression on Naruto's face began to change and contort. All the times when Naruto was ridiculed because of something he wasn't able to control. As Kakashi watched him he couldn't help but feel sorrow fill his chest. Here was a kid that was willing to go to any extent to get his comrades back even at the cost of his own life.

There was a dark chuckle from behind them, hidden in the darkness of the trees.

"My, my, Naruto you have grown."

Kakashi was on guard as Orochimaru and Kabuto walked into the clearing. A evil sneer was plastered on Orochimaru's face. Naruto's eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on the man before him.

"I wonder if your power has grown as well. I've been wondering who would win in a battle, you or…my Sasuke."

Kabuto noticed how Naruto was shaking with a burning fury. He glanced quickly over at Orochimaru who didn't seem alarmed by the actions.

'_He actually enjoys enraging the beast that resides inside of Naruto.' _ Kabuto thought appallingly.

"Don't talk about Sasuke in front of me like he's something you own!" Naruto's voice was masked with the chakra that was enveloping him steadily, "You'll never own him, he's his own person."

Orochimaru tilted his head to the left, his snakelike eyes taking interest in the boy in front of him.

"You are naïve Naruto, always have been from what Sasuke tells me."

Naruto gritted his teeth together, his fingernails growing longer and firmer. Kakashi looked at him from the corner of his eyes in worry. If Naruto was to completely lose it then everyone that was here was in danger, great danger.

"You really believe that he still needs to be saved, don't you?" Kabuto spoke up for the first time. Kakashi's eyes flew to him and they narrowed. The grip on his Kunai tightened as he began to bring in his surroundings; things were going to get ugly.

Kabuto smiled as he pushed his glasses up his narrow nose.

"He doesn't wish to be saved. In fact he loves living with Lord Orochimaru."

A growl escaped Naruto's throat as he crouched down on all fours.

"Naruto don't," Kakashi warned as he too got in fighting position.

Orochimaru chuckled, "Kabuto, it seems we'll be having a fight on our hands. I'll leave Kakashi to you then."

Kabuto pulled out a Kunai and nodded his head, "Yes Lord Orochimaru."

Kakashi's Sharingan began to track every move that Kabuto was going to make. When he lunged into the air Kakashi skipped to his right in order to smack Kabuto against his head with his foot. Kabuto went flying into the nearby tree, causing a huge dent to appear.

"You really want to get this started?"

Kabuto stood up from the tree with a smirk on his face.

"You forget that you are not originally the host of the Sharingan, how can you possibly defeat me when all I have to do is tire you out and then make the killing blow. I also have been studying the Sharingan; Sasuke has become a very important part of that research."

Kakashi glared at the man that was standing before him.

"I'm surprised he let you do any research on his eyes. He's always been very proud of his heritage I wouldn't think he'd let a vermin like you to see it, let alone research."

Kabuto pushed his screwed glasses up his nose, "You'd be surprised what our Sasuke has turned into. If he were here right now this fight would be already over."

Kakashi's eyes flew to Naruto who was shaking harder with the deep anger that resided inside him.

"Looks like Naruto is about to fly off the handle."

"You don't know anything about Naruto; if he really put things together none of us would still be standing."

Kabuto followed Kakashi's attention to look at Naruto, "Yes, you're afraid of him as well, aren't you?"

Kakashi was silent for a few moments before he spoke, "No I'm not."

Kabuto looked at him in deep surprise.

Kakashi glanced over at Kabuto from over his shoulder, "I would place my life in his hands."

Orochimaru laughed as he took in Naruto's figure before him.

"I'm sure you are wondering how Sakura is doing, I left her in Sasuke's care so she should be just fine."

Naruto's eyes turned even more dangerous at the mention of the girl that stole his heart back in the Academy days.

Orochimaru liked his lips as he continued, "Oh she is just so feisty and good."

A growl escaped Naruto's throat again as he lunged forward, digging his nails into Orochimaru's skin. He pinned Orochimaru to him, his red eyes burning into his soul.

"I'm going to kill you!"

Orochimaru snickered at the comment.

"You can try, perhaps I'll tell you were Sasuke and dear Sakura are. But you'd have to force it out of me."

Naruto's smile was distorted by the long teeth that were growing.

"I'll do it gladly."

* * *

Blinking her eyes open she starred at the ceiling. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness but she soon was able to make out patterns from the stone. She heard running water and turned her head. The light was on in the bathroom to the right.

As she sat up on the bed the sheets were wound tight around her, making it so her naked skin wasn't showing. The water stopped which caused her heart to beat irregularly. Would Sasuke hate her now? Or was it possible that he was okay with what happened?

The door swung open and Sasuke stepped out of the bathroom, his hair still dripping wet. Their eyes met from across the room as he stopped in his tracks. After a few moments of awkward silence Sakura looked away from him, her green eyes boring into the sheet.

"I, uh, well…"

Sasuke walked over to the place where his sandals where located. Picking them up he walked back over to the bed and sat down next to her.

"You'll have to keep quiet about this. If Orochimaru finds out…"

"Then he'll kill me, I get it." Sakura replied coldly. Sasuke raised his eyebrow at her.

"I've never seen you so cranky when you first woke up."

Sakura sighed as she shifted her position on his bed.

"Sasuke…what does this make us now?" Her voice faltered towards the end. Sasuke looked at her intently for a few moments then slowly looked away.

"Don't get your hopes up. I don't know if I could ever love you. What happened…was great, nothing I've ever felt before but…"

"You're first priority is your revenge," Sakura finished for him.

Sasuke looked back at his hands as she adjusted the sheet that covered her. How could he explain what was going on in his head, it wasn't like he was used to expressing himself. His eyes widened when he felt her breath near his ear.

"Even though that's your first priority doesn't mean we can't have our fun still." Tingles went throughout his body as she began to kiss his ear lobe, bringing it into her mouth.

His arms found their way around her waist as he pulled her onto his lap. He buried his face in her neck planting kisses at every inch of skin he could. She tilted her head back and giggled slightly, her hand running through his hair.

"So we'll keep everything a secret, you can be as cold and heartless as you want outside but…," she trailed off as he kissed her collar bone, "when we're alone…you can be as loving as you want."

He pulled away from her skin to gaze into her green eyes.

"Sakura…"

She shushed him by putting her pointer finger on his lips.

"It's okay, I understand that you might never love me, but don't make me lose all hope that maybe someday you could change your mind."

Sasuke kissed her finger that was pressed over his lips.

"Okay, I won't take that hope away."

Sakura smiled deeply at him, making her green eyes shine. She leaned down and kissed his waiting lips. He groaned as she wound her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer to him.

"I just took a shower." He complained; clearly annoyed by the way she was making him feel all over again.

Her lips lingered close to his as she spoke, "Well you may have taken a shower but I haven't." She looked at him intently waiting for him to understand her meaning. It took him no time in all to have realization flash through his eyes. He unraveled the sheet from around her body and carried her into the bathroom. As he turned on the water to leave it time to warm up she couldn't help but start to giggle as he tore at his cloths.

"Someone is in a hurry."

He growled as he smashed her lips to his.

* * *

Orochimaru gasped as he was slammed against another tree. This has been going on for hours. It was getting time to leave, by the looks of Naruto and Kakashi they were about at their limit as well.

"Looks like you won't be able to find Sasuke and Sakura after all. I hope you have a good time just playing around."

Naruto lunged towards him once again, the red chakra swirling around like a mad tornado.

"I'm going to kill you! I've had enough of you taking everything away from me. I am going to save the two most important people to me, even if I have to give myself over to the devil."

Kakashi spun around at Naruto's words, barely dodging a hit from Kabuto.

"Wait Naruto! You have to remember what happened the last time you did something like that. We can't afford you to give in."

Naruto looked at Kakashi from the corner of his dead red eyes.

"I'm sorry Kakashi-Sensei, I don't see another way." He mumbled under his breath as he closed his eyes.

Orochimaru's eyes widened as the red chakra that was around Naruto began to increase in intensity.

"This is becoming interesting." He chuckled as the Naruto that was before him began to shift and change into a ugly monster of the nine-tailed fox.

"If he gives into it fully he will lose his own sense of will, which will make my plan come into effect. All I have to do is wait for the Akatsuki to arrive."

* * *

**A/N: Must say that I want to thank my beta Silver again for getting me this chapter the same day I sent it, well, basically the same day, I believe I sent it to her yesterday and she got it back to me today. She's so dedicated it's amazing. **

**Okay well I was able to get this chapter finished pretty fast, can't promise the next one will come out as fast but I am going to try to have it finished. Please, please review! I want to be able to see...hmm...6 new reviews before chapter 13 is finished, is that okay to ask??? :D Anyway, I hope you guys are having a great week, I have a test tomorrow so I gotta go study. Have fun with whatever it is you all you! **

**I want to thank all you guys for reviewing my story. I can't remember all of you off the top of my head but I know a few, **

**Tiger Priestess**

**Sasuke is Hot (something something) teehee! Sorry totally forgot your whole penname, but anyway. There a lot of you guys and I really would take the time to write you all down but I need to study. So next chapter I will make it my goal to acknowlege everyone that has reviewed. Thanks so much again! Tatta!  
**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Dripping wet, Sakura made her way out of the shower. Sasuke wasn't far behind her as she walked into his bedroom, a towel covering her exposed skin.

"I'm going to go to my room; I'm not putting these back on." She sneered at the clothes that were now in her hands.

Sasuke couldn't stop the smirk that came over his face.

"By all means have fun walking in the hall with just a towel on."

Sakura glared at him as she made her way to his closet. Pulling it open she pulled one of his white shirts out and wrapped it around her, closing off the opening with one of his ropes.

"Ha, now I won't be walking around in a towel."

"Oh yes and my clothes are so much better." Sasuke stated sarcastically as he pulled on a shirt of his own.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yes they are a lot better, this way I can say you abused me and no one would dare ask any questions."

Sasuke glared at her as she walked over to the door.

"I'll see you at training."

Then she disappeared into the hallway. Sasuke finished getting dressed and then he put his sword on his back.

Everything was becoming so mudded now that he had been with Sakura. He found himself only wanting to be with her, wanting to forget about everything that he had strived so long to achieve. Sasuke's eyes shot wide when he felt the change in chakra around him. Something was wrong with Orochimaru and he was calling to Sasuke.

Hatred filled Sasuke's eyes as he sneered into the darkness of the room. He wasn't going to be treated like a dog that would come whenever he was called. No, this time he would ignore Orochimaru.

He was itching for a fight he knew but there was no way he was going to let Orochimaru think he had been beaten into a dog that did everything his master told him to. No, there would be none of that from Sasuke.

Sakura looked up as he made his way into the training grounds. She was next to him with her hands on her hips.

"What took you so long?"

Sasuke didn't answer as he looked away from her memorizing eyes. Sakura's hands fell limply at her side.

"Sasuke…did something happen to Naruto and Kakashi- Sensei?"

"Not yet."

The color left Sakura's face.

"Not yet?" she then closed her eyes and purple chakra began to swirl around her frame. It grew and intensified as she stretched to the very limits she had.

Sasuke watched as the purple chakra grew so it was completely covering her. Sakura gasped as her eyes flew open.

"The Akatsuki are coming, they're going to take Naruto away, and I can't let that happen. Oh please Sasuke, please go to him."

His heart pounded in his chest as he looked at her pain stricken eyes. Slowly he looked away causing her face to fall.

"You know I can't. Orochimaru would pick up on anything I do and I can't afford for him to discover that I'm truly not loyal to him." Lifting his head he smirked, "Besides I don't care about Naruto. Whatever happens to him happens, I could care less."

Sakura wanted to punch the day lights out of him just then. She pulled her shoulders back and pushed her pink hair, which was getting longer, out of her face.

"If you won't do anything than I will."

"Hm."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she turned her back on him.

"Orochimaru is calling for you; don't you think you should go to him? It might cause him to believe that something else is going on."

Sasuke grabbed her left arm before she could retreat out of the training room. The feeling of his skin on hers caused her heart rate to accelerate. She felt him near her, pressing his mouth close to her ear.

"You'd be smart not to let him catch on to anything. You never know…you might have to deal with me if he found anything out."

Her eyes widened.

'_He's threatening me! This isn't good…Sakura you were stupid to think he could ever have feelings for you.' _

She allowed her head to fall towards the ground, that action seemed to become accustomed now that she had been made to feel lower than dirt.

She didn't make any reaction as he kissed her on the ear and pulled away from her, letting her arm out of his grasp.

"I realize you can be mean and ruthless but…I can't just stand here and let Naruto get captured by the very people that will kill him. You might not care about him anymore but he still cares about you and that will never change. Even if I have to sacrifice my life I will stop the Akatsuki from achieving their goal."

"Tch. That will go over well. Do you really think Orochimaru would let you even in the clearing with them around? You've become his new obsession so of course he wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Sakura turned so she was looking at his exposed chest.

"I'll fight him if it comes down to it. You're taking too long to kill him; I'll do the job for you."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as she walked towards him. Reaching up she stroked his cheek with her left hand.

"Even though you only want to use me for pleasure like Orochimaru does, I still find myself in love with you. I won't give up on you Sasuke. You still have your soul inside of you, just listen to it."

He jerked away from her swiftly walking down the hall that led out of the training room. Sakura watched as he left but then she smiled. She hit a nerve and that was a good thing.

'_He'll come back to me…and to Naruto. We just need to give him time and guidance.' _

'_**Yeah I'm sure you'll give him LOTS of guidance…in bed.' **_

'_Oh shut up! That's not the only thing I'll be doing, I'm not a whore you know.' _

Sakura rolled her eyes as she glanced around the room to make sure no one was watching her. When she was sure the cost was clear she vanished in thin air.

* * *

Kakashi watched in horror as the fourth tail formed. He gulped and just was able to dodge an attack by Kabuto.

"I've had enough of this." Turning both eyes to Kabuto he grinned behind the mask.

"Let's end this here and now."

Kabuto shrugged his shoulders as he pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Bring it old man."

Kakashi ran towards him and then suddenly disappeared. Kabuto looked around him, trying to catch a glimpse of the copy ninja.

He appeared behind Kabuto and tapped him on the shoulder. Kabuto spun around but was met by chirping sounds and blue chakra emitting from Kakashi's hand. With his Lightening blade he threw his arm into Kabuto's chest.

"This is when you die." Kakashi stated through clenched teeth as he yanked his hand out of Kabuto's chest causing blood to splatter onto his face.

As the body fell forward Kakashi turned and scanned the area for Naruto.

Orochimaru glared deathly at Kakashi as he landed beside Naruto.

"It seems you are out your medical Ninja."

There was a growl from Naruto as he took a step forward.

Orochimaru chuckled, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. In just a few moments you will be surrounded by the people that have been chasing you for some time now."

Kakashi glanced quickly around. If what Orochimaru was saying was true than Itachi Uchiha would show himself.

"Naruto you need to get out of here before they appear. We can't afford to have them capture you."

The beast that was once Naruto growled and lunged at Orochimaru, his claws outstretched. His claw hit its mark and Orochimaru went flying. Kakashi began to search through his vest pockets frantically as Naruto neared Orochimaru once again. In the last second he found what he was looking for. He pulled out the small piece of paper and sprung down to stand directly in front of Naruto.

The evil creature's white eyes looked at him curiously at first but then he crouched, readying himself to spring.

Pulling the paper into his hand more tightly he placed the paper on the creature's forehead before he was attacked. Red chakra began to swirl around the four tails and soon the tails disappeared. When he blinked he saw Naruto kneeling before him. His breath was ragged as he tried to catch it. Slowly he brought his eyes up to Kakashi.

"I…what happened?"

Kakashi bent down in order to help Naruto to his feet.

"Don't worry about it. Right now we need to get you out of here before Itachi decides to visit."

Naruto rubbed his head as he tried to catch up to what Kakashi could be talking about. Kakashi's head spun around frantically as he scanned the area.

"Why would he be here though?" Naruto asked as Kakashi jumped into the nearest tree with Naruto at his side.

Kakashi shook his head as he began to jump through the trees.

"Orochimaru must have left some hints that you would be here. We don't have time to save Sakura right now; we need to get you out of here before Itachi shows up."

Naruto suddenly stopped in their retreat.

"No. I'm not leaving Sakura here when things could turn south for her. She needs to get out of there Kakashi-Sensei. I can't leave her there anymore."

Kakashi landed in a brace in front of where Naruto was standing.

"Naruto you need to stop and think for a moment. Sakura is a smart girl I'm sure she's trying to find a way out as we speak. She would want you to get to safety before you tried to save her. You don't want to make her upset, do you?"

Naruto's blue eyes fell at Kakashi's words.

"Kakashi-Sensei…please try to understand…"

"I know you love her Naruto, that isn't something new. The thing you need to understand is that she loves someone else, and she's with that someone right now. Do you really think she'd leave if he showed any sign at all that he had feelings for her? We need to think things through and come up with another plan. If Sasuke has her in his clutches we're going to have to come up with something tricky to get her back."

Naruto's eyes flashed red.

"I swear if the teme is doing that I…I'll have no choice but to smack some sense into him. But there could always be the chance that he really does care about her…"

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair.

"Well…I suppose there is always that chance. But we both know Sasuke and he doesn't seem like the type to have feelings for someone else. All he cares about is getting his revenge on his brother. I doubt he's thinking about a girl right now."

Naruto shook his head.

"You don't really know him Kakashi…I do. He doesn't like being alone but he believes it's the only way to get what he seeks for. He doesn't want to put people through a dangerous mission that he has been striving for his whole life. He left us because he knew how important his ties to us were, to us and to him. They confused him and he couldn't handle the confusion. But—those bonds were important to him, I can't even imagine the pain he must have gone through when he left. Then when we all tried to stop him probably didn't help things. I can only imagine the pain he felt when Sakura declared her love for him," Naruto paused, "but then again I don't understand how he could leave her after that either."

Kakashi pulled his headband back down to cover his Sharingan.

"He probably thought it was the only thing he could do. We can't stay here contemplating what he might have been thinking. The bottom line is we don't know what he was thinking, maybe he truly didn't care and he left just because he could. Who knows, for now we need to go into hiding until we come up with a plan to get her away from Sasuke."

"What has my brother done this time I wonder?" A voice spoke from the darkness. Naruto's eyes widened when he recognized the voice.

Itachi Uchiha stepped out of the darkness followed closely by Kizame.

"He has gotten himself in a world of trouble, joining ranks with Orochimaru." Kisame said with a crocked smile.

Naruto looked between the two men that were assigned to kill him. His shoulders slumped in defeat. Kizame smiled in triumph as he watched Naruto's reaction.

"Looks like the kid isn't going to put up a fight this time around, and there's no "Pervy Sage" to help him."

Kakashi cleared his throat.

"I'll be the one protecting him this time."

"Ah, Kakashi we meet again." Itachi said in greeting.

'_This is bad—very bad. The last time I battled Itachi was landed in the hospital for a week, more or less.' _

"I wonder if your Sharingan eye has advanced anymore since the last time we met."

Kakashi pulled his headband up once again. _'Having to use this for the second time today is bad enough, now I'm going to have to use __**that **__Sharingan.' _

"There's only one way to find out."

"No!"

Kakashi stopped midstride and turned to look at Naruto.

"I've had enough fighting. The only way they are going to stop is if I go with them."

"Naruto what are you saying? Are you giving up on Sakura and Sasuke completely?"

Naruto smiled a sad smile at his Sensei.

"No I'm not, because I know that you will save them Kakashi. You'll be able to bring them back home to the village."

"Naruto I can't—"

"Leave Sasuke to Sakura, she can save him from the darkness that surrounds his heart. You, you need to save her. She's strong but we both know that there are times when her strength falters. When she thinks she isn't good enough, you need to be there to help her out of that rut."

Kizame smiled a toothy grin.

"I don't believe my ears, Itachi. He actually wants us to take him out of his misery."

Itachi was looking pointedly at Naruto. His face was emotionless but deep down inside something inside of him was cracking.

"That makes our job that much easier. Come Naruto."

Kakashi bent down in his fighting stance in front of Naruto, blocking him from following Itachi.

"You'll have to go through me first."

Itachi looked up from the ground to gaze into Kakashi's eyes. His Sharingan was active as he took a step forward.

"I was hoping I could get away without a fight this time around. Apparently I was mistaken."

Naruto reached out and placed his hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

"Kakashi-Sensei…no more fighting, with me gone maybe the world can finally come to peace. We both know that I'm one of the only ones they need now."

Kakashi straightened up and looked at Naruto with hard eyes.

"If you think I'm going to stand by and just let you give yourself over to them you're wrong. Dead wrong. I won't leave my comrade to die!"

Naruto sighed as he shook his head, a sad smile playing across his lips.

"I can't afford to lose anyone else. Please let me do this, just let me go."

Kakashi set himself in between Naruto and Itachi firmly.

"Sorry Naruto but this is one of the things you can't stop me from doing. I can't stand to lose another one of my comrades either. You think that you and Sakura were the only ones that were affected when Sasuke left but that isn't true. I thought of him as my son…it tore me apart when he left the village in order to follow the snake over there that is standing up," Kakashi motioned with his hand to where Orochimaru had appeared behind them.

Naruto's eyes flashed red as he followed Kakashi's motion.

"Naruto…I will die protecting you if that's what it takes. We **will **get Sasuke and Sakura back. Nothing can stop us from achieving our goals if we have the guts to never give up."

Naruto's eyes widened at the statement.

"_I don't need an Uchiha that is amazing already. Being a real ninja is so much more than just learning Jutsu. The ones that come up on top are the ones that have the guts to never give up! And the boy has those in spades." _

Jirarya's voice filled Naruto's head as his eyes faded back into his normal sky blue.

"Kakashi Sensei…"

Itachi glanced at Kisame who grinned in understanding. Bringing his sword off his back he spun it lightly around in his hand.

"I'll cut you all to ribbons!"

Before the sword was able to make contact with Kakashi Naruto stood in the way. With his forearms he blocked the attack, causing pain to surge through his body.

He glared up at Kisame from the place his face was hidden earlier by the huge blade. His eyes were a fierce red as he seethed with new rage.

"Stay away from him; he has nothing to do with this!"

Kisame glanced behind him at Itachi who had the look of indifference. He turned his attention back to the red eyed boy in front of him.

"You going to come with us willingly or should I finish you off and then drag you with us?"

Naruto bared his teeth as he pushed the sword upward so it shot off his arms.

"I'll go with you, but you have to leave everyone else alone."

"No Naruto! Don't you give into them!" Kakashi shouted.

Naruto looked behind him, his red eyes blazing.

"It's the only way all this can end Master Kakashi. I have to do this."

Kakashi started to make his way towards him when Naruto shot a burst of chakra at him, pinning him against the tree.

"I'm sorry Sensei but it's the way it has to be." Turning back to Kisame he lowered his eyes to the ground.

"I'm ready."

Itachi stepped forward in front of Kisame. Looking at Naruto an emotion crossed his face but he quickly hid it beneath the surface.

"Then come Naruto and we'll end all of this turmoil."

Naruto nodded his head numbly as Kakashi tried to get himself out of the chakra grasp that Naruto held him under.

"Naruto!"

The only answer he received was Naruto walking into the darkness behind Itachi Uchiha and Kisame.

* * *

**A/N: Hey you guys! I am SO SO SO sorry that it took like a month to update this story. Life has been going crazy for both my beta and I. I'm terribly sorry and I hope I can get Chapter 14 finished soon, i have a page so far but I'm kinda at a dead end...so I'm waiting for inspiration to hit. Again I'm terribly sorry. So many people reviewed for the last chapter that I don't have time or space to name them all. Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing my story. Lets go for 10 new reviews before I post chapter 14!! Thanks you guys, you help me to write and i think that's great. **

**Hope you guys have a great week, I know I won't..bleck school....Oh I bought Twilight on DVD! I'm sure a lot of you people have teehee. Good movie i must say. Anyway, enough ranting, hope you liked the chapter! Please review and tell me what you thought!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Orochimaru snickered as Kabuto picked himself up from the ground. He heaved heavily as he held onto the spot that the lightening blade entered.

"He thought he killed you—so predictable."

Kabuto looked in Orochimaru's direction as he winced.

"Do you think Naruto got away before Itachi was able to decode your message?"

"Doubt it. By now I'm sure he's in the Akatsuki's hands."

There was a popping sound indicating that someone had just arrived. Orochimaru turned around to see his pink haired girl glaring at him.

"Well, isn't someone a little grouchy this morning." He mused.

Sakura clenched her hands at her sides.

"What did you do with him?"

Orochimaru shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever do you mean?"

Sakura took a few deep breaths before she continued.

"Naruto, where is he?"

"Naruto?" Orochimaru questioned.

Sakura looked into the darkness of the trees.

"Yeah I was wondering where he was. I was hoping that maybe you decided that he was useful to you after all. You don't realize the amount of power he has, there is so much under the surface that he hasn't discovered yet…"

Orochimaru smirked as he digested this information.

"Sorry to disappoint you but the Akatsuki got to him before I could. It's for the best I assume that they finish him off. They do have a noble cause."

"Then why did you leave them?"

"Why? Because I wasn't able to get Itachi, he caught onto what I was after and he confronted me about it. Therefore I could no longer stay in that place."

Sakura folded her arms across her chest as Orochimaru stepped up to her. Placing his hand on her side he pulled her close to him.

"I wonder why Sasuke didn't show up."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders in response.

"You know as well as I do that if Sasuke doesn't want to do something he won't."

"Yes, yes of course. He is very grouchy when he first wakes up. I should have realized that, oh well."

Sakura looked down at the grass that they stood on. Her mind wandered back to Sasuke and everything that had happened with them last night and this morning. Her heart ached to be in his arms instead of the arms she was currently in.

"What's the matter, you look sad." Orochimaru broke her out of her thoughts. She tilted her head upward and smiled sadly at him.

"Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl and can take care of myself."

Orochimaru smiled sinisterly at her.

"Well of course you are. Now, why don't we get back to Sasuke before he throws a tantrum that sends the whole base crashing down?"

With three pops they were gone.

Kakashi couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Sakura in Orochimaru's arms…everything was turning into a huge mess. And now Naruto had willingly walked to his death. Closing his eyes he forced Lightening blade out once again, cutting through the chakra that bound him he landed on his feet, breathing hard.

"I have to tell the Hokage."

* * *

Sasuke sat at the edge of his bed with his hand clenching his face. Itachi had been in the near vicinity and he just let him walk away! He was losing his grip on reality and it all had to do with Sakura. There was a quick knock on the door and then it swung open. Sasuke didn't have to look to see it was Orochimaru.

"Is there something wrong Sasuke? You seem a little crankier than usual."

Sasuke didn't answer. Orochimaru smirked as he entered the room, the door closing behind him.

"Whatever is the matter Sasuke? Wouldn't you want to kill Itachi?"

Sasuke bit his lip as his eyes narrowed into slits. Orochimaru took a few steps back, he knew better than to mess with Sasuke when he was in one of his moods.

Stepping out of the room he glanced behind him.

"Soon Sasuke…very soon your body will be mine."

His eyes bounced to the right to see Sakura bouncing down the hallway.

"What a surprise to see you coming down this way Sakura. Please get your belongings together, we'll be changing bases soon."

Sakura smiled sweetly at him, her finger playing with her pink hair.

"All right, I'll get right to that."

"Good, come see me tonight once you are finished with that."

Sakura nodded her head as Orochimaru walked past her and out of her sight. She glanced behind her to make sure that no one was around. Sneaking into the dark room she leaned against the cold door. When she brought her eyes up from the floor she was met by shinning red eyes.

"Sasuke…?"

No reply came upon her ears. The only thing that flickered was the redness of his eyes. They became more intense by the second. Sakura's heart began to pound in her chest as she took a few steps towards the red eyes that loomed in the darkness.

"I know you're upset about something but…can't you talk to me about it?"

Once again there was no reply. Sakura stood her ground as Sasuke stood up from his bed. He walked slowly over to her until he was standing right in front of her.

_'Here he is right in front of me and yet he feels so far away.'_

"You are becoming too much of a hassle."

Sakura didn't dare look him in the eye so she focused her attention on his chest. Was it only a few hours ago that she was able to touch it without fearing his rejection? And now here she stood and she was afraid of what would happen if she leaned forward to press her forehead against it.

"I think it's time you left Sakura."

A gasp escaped her mouth before she could stop it.

"You—you want me to leave?"

Sasuke turned his head away from her as a new anger arouse in his chest. Everything about Sakura was distracting.

"I thought you were starting to let me in."

"You were wrong! Why would I ever let someone like you in? You're still the same as you were back when we were kids, annoying."

To say the words didn't sting her would be a lie. Clenching her fists together her breath quickened. Sweat rolled down her temple as the words started to sink in. Her eyes gleamed defiantly back into the cold red ones that were refusing to look at her. Her hands began to sweat from how tight she was making her fist. Masking her chakra she began to build it around her closed hand. In a swift movement her fist made contact with Sasuke's left cheek.

Being caught off guard he stumbled slightly, quickly recovering he put his hand on the place that she had hit him. A light trail of blood came down the side of his mouth. He smirked in her direction showing her that she had not broken his jaw like she intended.

"You have no right to speak to me that way. I don't care if you never want to let me in your life but you're going to have to deal with me! I chose to stay here with Orochimaru and you're going to have to deal with my presence even if you hate me!"

The uncontrolling chakra began to swirl around her thin frame. Sasuke's Sharingan spun slightly from the new information he was receiving from having the Sharingan focused on the distraught girl before him. He could clearly see the darkness that arose inside of Sakura when this foreign chakra made itself present. It completely threw aside Sakura's natural chakra to be able to consume her.

The light pink chakra that was normally the chakra that Sasuke was used to seeing was completely covered in the dark purple chakra. The evil sense of Orochimaru filled the room causing bad memories to surface in Sasuke's mind. In surprise the Sharingan fell back into slumber, his eyes returning to normal.

Her hair veiled over her eyes as she let the darkness take over.

"Sasuke I'm tired of trying to get you to understand that I'm not against you, that I'm willing to go with you to kill Itachi or do whatever you want. If you don't want my help then I'll just go to someone who does want my help." Her voice was deadpanned as she spoke.

The sensation of worry came over Sasuke as he reached out to take her arms she pulled slightly away from him.

"Sakura you don't know what you're saying. You go to Orochimaru for that purpose then you will forever be lost to everyone…including me."

A smirk came onto her lips at the irony.

"Here you are talking about me being lost forever, and yet, when it was something you wanted to do the thought never crossed your mind that you would be lost to everyone."

Sasuke didn't like how the feeling didn't subside; instead it intensified as she spoke. He grumbled to himself, angry with the way he was feeling towards her. Why did he have to let her in? She was only going to get hurt by him further. Yet while he was trying to get her to stop mumbling her nonsense it seemed nothing was getting through to her. In a despite attempt to 'awaken' her he did an act that he swore he'd never do again.

Bending down, since she was so much shorter than him he placed his lips on top of hers midsentence. Her eyes flew open in shock at his motion, her arms falling limp at her side. As his lips moved against hers he was relieved to see the purple chakra settle down back into the depths of her soul. Pulling swiftly away he turned his back to her, not wanting to see her face at this moment.

There was the sound of her taking an uncertain step towards him but then she stopped. clearing her throat she pulled at her pink locks.

"Sasuke…I…I'm sorry."

He didn't even feel like grunting in response so instead he began to walk towards the door. He reached out to clasp the door handle when a small hand grabbed onto his wrist. The sudden contact made him come to a halt, eyes glued to the door.

"Don't walk away from me again…I…" she fell silent for a moment, "I would fall apart if you did." She mumbled the last part, not happy to admit her weakness.

Sasuke closed his eyes as he leaned his forehead against the door in front of him. This girl shouldn't put so much effort into him. There was no way he was going to go back to being the person she knew him to be. There was only one thing that was important to him…and he'd be willing to do anything to get that.

"Sakura…I chose revenge," Pulling his wrist out of his grasp he continued, "What we did was a mistake. Something that should never happen again."

Blasted tears began to build up in her eyes once again.

"Why do you always do this? Why do you always get close and then suddenly turn cold? I don't know what I do to make you this way."

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly. He had to get out of this situation. When she started to get this way he never knew what to say. Naruto was always the one that comforted Sakura; he himself had never been one good with words or affection. Ever since that fateful day he lost all sense of being compassionate.

"You better start packing." Was his reply as he opened the door and left her standing in the middle of his room.

His thoughts bounced around in his head as he made his way down the twisted hallways. There was one person that he could go to that he knew wouldn't question him and his decisions. As he made his way down the halls towards the medical area he shook with fear. Why was he afraid? There was nothing to be afraid of here.

Kabuto exited the room that he was seeking after. Looking up from his papers he grinned.

"Well hello Sasuke. Here to make your daily visit to Yuki?"

"Humph."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Of course you never like admitting that you hold a soft spot for the girl. Well I'm sure you'd be interested to know that she is almost healthy enough to begin our procedure. You've done a good job in helping her recovery along. I'm surprised she took to you so quickly, usually people shy away from you, perhaps it's your amazingly good looks that caught her."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed drastically in Kabuto's direction. Kabuto smiled nervously and shook his hands from side to side, the paper flaying wildly.

"Don't take it personally; you can't help the way you look."

Sasuke clenched his jaw and Kabuto could tell that he was ready to hit him. So as quickly as he could he passed him.

"Have fun Sasuke." He called over his shoulder. Sasuke watched as he disappeared from sight. Muttering profanities to himself he stepped to the door and opened it slowly.

As he entered he could see Yuki's small frame shaking from the doorway. What had they done to her this time? Anger swept inside of him again at the thought of them touching her and putting injections inside of her. All this was just so Orochimaru could have his dream come true.

Her lavender eyes looked up from their hiding place on her knees.

"Sasuke-sama…"

Nothing else had to be said as he strode over to her and sat down on her bed next to her, bringing her into his chest. She clung tightly to the folds of his shirt, pressing her face against his chest. Sobs began to emit from her chest. Closing his eyes he held her a little tighter, hoping in some way he was making the pain less painful. After a few moments she pulled away from his chest to look into his face.

"Sasuke-sama…what's wrong?"

Opening his eyes he looked down into hers. There was nothing he could keep from this small girl that had helped him so much while she had been here. Looking away he noticed how her face fell into a frown.

"You're running again…aren't you?"

The bed shifted slightly from underneath him. Soon small hands were placed on either side of his face, making him look at her. When he focused his eyes on her he could see the determination that lit her face.

"Why are you running? Are you afraid to truly feel the feelings that are coming out?"

Yuki smiled, her eyes closing from the gesture.

"I know you Sasuke-sama. I understand that you are afraid to be close to people because you might hurt them, or will hurt them. I also know that you want something very badly and you won't stop until you get that. But…Sasuke-sama, will it really make you smile, a real smile?"

"I smile." Sasuke huffed.

Yuki opened her eyes and gazed at him intently.

"It never reaches your eyes." As she said this she rubbed the skin underneath his eyes.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. Yuki leaned her forehead against his, drawing strength from his body. Sasuke had known from the beginning what Yuki's powers were and he wasn't afraid of her. This innocent girl had been brought up to believe that she was something to fear when in reality there was nothing to fear. Her abilities made her dangerous, not fearful. Closing his eyes he allowed the energy to be slowly zapped from his body. If there was anything he could do for this girl it was this. If giving his energy to keep her from dying was the only way he would do it a million times over, five times a day if he had too.

After a few moments Yuki pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry Sasuke-sama I always take from you."

Sasuke placed his hand on her head and shrugged.

"You do what you have to do to survive. Just like me."

Yuki looked up at him sheepishly.

"Sasuke-sama?"

"Hm?"

"Will you stay here until I fall asleep? And…" she fidgeted with her nightgown, "Will you promise not to run away anymore? That pink hair girl really loves you…I could see it in her eyes."

Sasuke turned away from her as he stood up while picking up Yuki at the same time; pulling the covers aside he placed her gently on the bed, closing the covers up under her chin. Once she was under the covers he laid down next to her, running his hand through her hair comfortingly, or at least he hoped it was doing that. He had never been one good at comforting. Ever since that fateful night…

Sasuke shook his head to stop his thought process before it got carried back to the past.

Yuki leaned against him and sighed evenly.

"Thank you for coming Sasuke-sama."

Sasuke looked at her peaceful face while he lay motionless. This little girl didn't deserve the torture Orochimaru put her through night after night. Just because she had a unique power shouldn't give him the right to extract that from her.

When her breathing deepened he knew she was lost to her dreams. Slowly and silently he moved off the bed, away from the small girl.

"You really shouldn't grow so attached to her."

Sasuke whirled around and glared in the direction of the voice.

"That's no way to greet me Sasuke-kun."

Orochimaru stepped into his view, a smile graced his lips.

"I simply came to tell you that we were leaving. Sakura has already finished packing her things. All that is left is to leave, we need to hurry or else the Hidden Leaf will try to penetrate this base again."

Sasuke walked over to his Sensei's side.

"Oh and by the way Sasuke. I hope you didn't forget that Sakura is mine."

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks and after standing next to his Sensei for a moment continued to walk away from him. Orochimaru licked his lips as he turned and watched Sasuke walk away.

_'Although if you did take the liberty to take her then I couldn't refuse an Uchiha child. You would be ultimately helping me out after all.'_

* * *

Sakura bent over, grasping her stomach. Sweat was dropping down from her face. Slowly she reached over, activating her chakra and placing her hand just above her stomach. Something had gone terribly wrong. As soon as the chakra began to smooth the pain she began to relax. Something was wrong with her but right now she was just glad she was able to sub side the pain.

Leaning back against the cold wall she took deep breaths. There was movement from the corner of her room as her eyes were brought to focus on it.

Then the movement stopped. Gulping she shifted her position slightly. Her hand grasped down into her side bag that held her Kunai.

Red eyes peered at her from the darkness. She sighed in relief as she let the Kunai fall back in its place.

"Next time ask before you come in."

"I thought I could never sneak up on you."

Sakura pushed her damp hair out of her face, not caring to reply. There was more movement as Sasuke stepped out of the darkness and fell down at her side.

"Orochimaru is up to something."

"Isn't he always? And is that why you're talking to me now?"

"He knows about us…" Sasuke continued not caring to answer her question.

Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration. Of course, the only reason why Sasuke would be talking to her willingly is because he's afraid something awful will happen to him when Orochimaru finds out about what had gone on between the two of them.

"Did he come out and say it?"

Sasuke looked down at the space in between his knees.

"So how do you know that he knows? Maybe he's just trying to freak you out so he can figure out if something like that really did take place with us." Sakura reasoned.

Sasuke shook his head.

"You don't know Orochimaru like I do. I've been with him for three years, I know his way of thinking. My senses are telling me that he knows."

A feeling of dread spread itself through Sakura's being.

"Uhm…if he does know then what do we do?"

Sasuke moved his left foot and leaned his head against the cold stone wall.

"You were in pain just now. What's going on?"

Pushing at her unruling hair she grunted.

"Why would you worry about that? There's nothing that is wrong with me."

Sakura froze as Sasuke moved so he was only an inch away from her face.

"You're a bad liar Sakura. So don't even try to lie to me, you're going to tell me what's wrong."

Sakura gulped as she slid away from him a few inches. Her hands began to shake as she recalled the new foreign pain that had overtaken her a few minutes before.

"Let me first figure out what it was. When I find out I promise you'll be the first to know."

"Don't tell Kabuto about any of it."

Sakura was surprised by the outburst, "Why?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her incompetence.

"Because it might be something that he nor Orochimaru shouldn't know about. Just forget going to him for help on the matter, all right?" He stated firmly, leaving no room or argument.

Sakura had to admit that she was glad he had set the ground rule on this matter. For once Sasuke being controlling had its perks.

When she let her green eyes focus on his black ones she didn't try to move them away. When he made no move to pull away either she slowly eased her hands up onto his face. When her hands made contact with his skin his eyes closed as he smelled her smell in.

A small smile tugged at the sides of Sakura's lips.

"Why do you always pull away? You don't have to suffer things alone anymore." She whispered softly, not wanting to disturb him from his thought process, whatever that was.

He sighed in response as he allowed himself to fall down at her feet, his face still in her hands.

Opening his eyes he reached out and touched the locket that hid beneath her shirt.

"I don't ever want to hurt you…but…" he trailed off as he tried to pull away. Sakura's grip on his face tightened making it so he couldn't budge.

"No, don't do it again Sasuke. Right now you're actually letting me see the side of you I once knew, the side I fell in love with." She mumbled the last part of her sentence.

His onyx eyes met hers once again. He reached out with his calloused hands and touched her face. She leaned into his hand, comforted by his touch. How his touch could make her feel comforted he would never know. His hands were covered with blood of the innocent, surely he hadn't killed them but he had caused many wounds.

Leaning forward he allowed his lips to brush silently against hers. She responded just the way he knew she would. She weaved her arms around his neck and let her fingers play through his black hair.

Sasuke allowed himself to be lost inside the kiss that would forever change his destiny. Once the kiss had intensified he pulled away from her, gasping for air.

"Orochimaru is looking for us. It's time to leave."

Sakura looked towards a dark corner of the room, folding her arms across her chest.

"But…we leave and the Leaf can't find us again…"

Sasuke smirked, his old self coming back into play.

"I thought you gave yourself to Orochimaru and that you are willing to serve him. Shall I tell him you have chosen otherwise?"

Sakura's head shot up to look at the boy that had just been kissing her so passionately a second before.

When she saw the look on her face she knew things had gone back to normal. She would have to savor the moments when Sasuke let his guard down because this was the way he was going to be for most of the time. Picking herself off the ground she smirked right back at him.

"Oh yes and he'd be so pleased to find out that you messed with his girl while he was away."

Sasuke's narrowed dangerously by her threat, turning on his heels he walked out of the room with her following slowly behind him.

* * *

**Okay so here is the long awaited chapter. My beta saw my post for chapter 14 and she was like, uh-oh. But no worries since she got it back to me in record time. I hope everyone is okay with how long they had to wait...I hope I didn't loose any readers.... :S **

**Review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. The next one should be really good. Its taking me a long time to write it since fighting scenes take a lot out of me. teehee. ^^**

**Anyway, please review!!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Darkness was all that was there to greet him when his eyes slowly opened. His body acted and throbbed as if someone had dropped him from a 50 foot cliff. Realizing something was in his mouth he coughed and spitted. Blood.

"Looks like he's finally awake Itachi," Kisame observed from in the darkness.

Reality began to set in as Naruto heard that voice. That was right he had come with them willingly. Groggily he strained to open his eyes. They seemed so heavy…what was wrong with them?

"Kisame I told you not to be so brutal." Itachi mused from Naruto's right. Naruto's head instinctively turned towards his voice.

"Well you know how it goes Itachi, I couldn't restrain myself."

There was a rustle of a cloak as Itachi approached Naruto, who was tied to the wall. Naruto's eyes narrowed as Itachi came into his view of sight.

"You look very upset Naruto, weren't you the one that came with us willingly?"

"I didn't think you'd beat the heck out of me." Naruto was amazed he was able to speak at all. His voice was hoarse and weak but still hearable.

Itachi reached out his left hand and took a hold of Naruto's chin.

"You were the one that gave up so easily."

Naruto's eyes scanned the room and noticed that Kisame was nowhere to be seen.

"I thought you said you'd do anything in order to bring Sasuke back to the village. "I'm a better brother than you ever were," you stated. But now look at you, bleeding and about to have the nine-tailed sucked out of you forcibly." Itachi's Sharingan was spinning wildly.

A smirk came over Naruto as he looked into the Sharingan.

"You're really upset about this, why?"

Itachi reeled backwards on his feet. Never had Naruto seen him so shocked before and so…human. When Naruto blinked a blank expression was put on Itachi's face.

"Never thought you would be one to give up, weren't you the one always proclaiming that you would become Hokage someday? That you never went back on your word? Well…didn't you swear to bring Sasuke back to the village? To lead him away from the darkness that covers his heart and mind?"

Naruto hung his head, "Sasuke…has always been stronger than me, better than me. When I found out I was compatible with him I was…happy. Wind helps and aids fire, it didn't matter to me that I could destroy his lightening ability with Wind…all I cared about was being able to help him, being able to stand on the same ground as him."

Bile filled his mouth and he gagged and coughed in order to get rid of it.

"He was always there…in front of my eyes…aiding me…helping me get stronger. I wanted…I wanted to be like him. Sasuke was the first one to really see me. The first one to acknowledge me more than a failure who held the demon who destroyed the whole village."

Itachi adjusted his cloak while Naruto continued.

"Sakura ended up going to him…she's with him now. I never thought she would be one to leave the village but the more she's with him the more I know she won't want to come back. Leaving the village was something that only crossed my mind once. And that was in order to find Sasuke. But now..." he motioned with his hands upward, "I'm chained to a wall with blood coming up my throat every few minutes. I know that I'm going to be killed and yet you don't see me fighting my way out of here. It would be so easy for me to just turn myself over to the nine-tail and have him tare this place to shreds but I don't. Because I've decided that I don't want to deal with the pain of losing the people I care about. I don't want to have to go back to the village without Sasuke and Sakura knowing that they'll never come back. I can't stand the hurt of losing another family member."

"How touching," Itachi mocked once Naruto was finished speaking.

"Here I thought you were the one that never would let yourself give up, to lose hope that someday everything would turn out in the end."

Naruto lifted his head up in order to see Itachi.

"You were the one that caused Sasuke to become the way he is in the first place. You made him run to a monster that only wants his body in order to gain power. You are the one that condemned him to hell! How can you stand there mocking me when you're the one that destroyed your clan, your family, and by doing so you destroyed everything Sasuke held dear! I don't want to hear you're lame excuses, if I had it my way you'd be dead right now at my feet!" Naruto's eyes shifted from the hazy blue to threatening red, his pupils becoming slits.

Itachi snickered.

"Looks as if you've begun to lose that cool you've been trying so hard to maintain. You really haven't mastered any self control of the nine-tail. The only power you have to bring Sasuke back with is the power of the nine. Does it make you feel good knowing that without the fox you'd be nothing?"

Naruto gritted his teeth together in anger.

"And with my little brother, he's nothing but a baby that thinks if he tries hard enough he can defeat me. He refused to kill you in order to hold the same Sharingan as me, which alone proves he's a coward."

The whiskers on Naruto's cheeks grew more pronounced. It was one thing to mock him but to mock Sasuke…that was going over the line.

"Shut up!" There was a burst of chakra that followed the words.

Itachi was thrust against the opposite wall.

"You can talk crap about me all you want but you have no right to say anything about Sasuke! You have no right to act like you're a God given creature to this world. I'm going to show you how worthless you really are!" Red chakra began to swirl around Naruto as his anger rose to extreme heights. Itachi watched from his place on the wall with a slight smile.

'_Yes there you go Naruto, get angry with me—fight me to save Sasuke. Bring Sasuke out of the darkness he has lost himself in.' _

The chains that restrained Naruto began to melt with the extreme heat that was emanating from Naruto's skin. The wounds Naruto had received from Kisame began to heal at a vigorous pace. When the chains had melt into nothing Naruto landed on his feet, the red chakra swirling madly.

His eyes locked with Itachi's as Itachi moved so he would be ready for any attack Naruto would inflict.

A growl escaped Naruto's throat as he made his advance towards the man in front of him. The thought of Sasuke being hurt by this man filled his mind. It was three years ago when Sasuke had been beaten to a pulp by his older brother. By the man that killed everything that Sasuke ever loved.

Back then Naruto had been able to do nothing, but it was going to be different this time around. This time he was going to make Itachi pay for what he did; for everything he did to Sasuke.

Itachi held up his left hand and motioned for Naruto to come to him. That enraged Naruto further. Without any delay he lunged towards the man that had become his enemy the moment he took a swing at Sasuke.

Itachi dodged the frontal attack and thrust a Kunai into Naruto's side. His eyes widened slightly when the kunai seemed unable to penetrate the skin. Naruto's eyes dilated even more when he turned to glare into Itachi's dark eyes. The red chakra became more intense as the second tail began to form. Itachi noticed this drastic change and hurled himself backward, away from Naruto.

"I'm….gonna…kill you!"

Itachi's Sharingan whirled around the room analyzing everything that could be used against Naruto. The door banged open and Kisame stood in the doorway, his sword lowered from his back ready.

"Itachi what trouble has happened here? Surly you didn't mean to get him like this."

Itachi glanced back without turning his head toward Kisame.

"Hardly, he got worked up when I mentioned something about my baby brother."

"Sasuke was it? What is it that has Naruto so set on getting him back? Orochimaru has him in his clutches and no one but you could save him from that fate and everyone here knows you wouldn't do such a thing." Kisame pondered out loud, clearly forgetting about the nine tailed Naruto that was seething with anger.

"Kisame behind you!" Itachi yelled out a warning.

Kisame turned his head and barely had time to dodge a chakra arm that was coming towards him fast. With chakra enhanced speed he ran to Itachi's side.

"You made him dangerous. You _have _to remember never to mention your brother to this kid."

Itachi merely smirked in response as Naruto leaped at the pair. With two chakra arms he grasped onto Kisame and Itachi and smacked them into each other. Itachi swore under his breath as he activated his Mangekyou Sharingan. Kisame rubbed the back of his head and smiled.

"You finally mean business do you? About time."

His hands flew and made hand signs that were hard for the human eye to catch. He ended on the last sign and smirked at the enraged Naruto.

Lifting his hands to his mouth he blew out a black flame like fire. Naruto's eyes dilated. He had seen this fire before, back when Pervy Sage had saved Sasuke from Itachi's genjutsu three years ago. Flipping backwards and away from the fire he began to think of a way to get past the black flame that was coming towards him.

'_What would Sasuke do in order to get away from this? There has to be a weak spot in this Jutsu! What would Sasuke do?!? Oh boy do I wish Sasuke was here right now.' _

Naruto stumbled when he found himself in a familiar place. The floor was wet and you could hear drops of water falling from the ceiling. Gulping he looked straight in front of him to see a huge cage with a tag with the world 'seal' on it. A growling was coming from the cage as the animal made its presence known.

"_**Give yourself over to me. Together we will finish this fight. Without me you have no chance in seeing this thing through to the end." **_

Swishing noises were made as Naruto took a few steps away from the Nine-Tail.

"I won't do that. I'll finish him with my own power. I hurt people when I give in…"

"_**You want to save Sasuke don't you? I can help you achieve that goal; all you have to do is come to me." **_

Darkness covered Naruto's eyes as he looked down into the water that was ankle deep. His eyes widened when he saw a reflection begin to appear. The image came into focus and Naruto found himself looking at his best friend, his brother.

"_**You can see him again. All you need to do is take this seal off." **_

His eyes shook with emotion as the image of Sasuke began to blur and fade. Raising his eyes towards the fox he smirked.

"This is Itachi Uchiha we're dealing with. He has the most powerful Sharingan that has ever been in the Uchiha clan. There is only one known thing that can control the likes of you and that's the Sharingan he possesses. I'd be an idiot to turn myself over to you only to have you be controlled by him."

The fox growled loudly at Naruto's response.

"_**I will not be taking lightly by the likes of them again! Let me make our power one and we will destroy them together!" **_

Naruto shook his head.

"No."

Naruto was suddenly swept back into reality as his body hit against the wall, hard. The black flame was coming at him at high speed.

'_I guess there's no hope in getting out of here alive. Might as well take them down with me! Sasuke…you better take care of Sakura cause if you don't I'll come and hunt your sorry ass.' _

When the fire was about to latch onto his cloths he jumped up into the air. Itachi watched with mild interest.

"Perhaps I'll have to pay my brother a visit. It has been a long time since I've seen him. It'd be good to…catch up."

A growl left from the depths of Naruto's throat.

"Uh…Itachi I know you know what you're doing but is it good to push him to his limits?" Kisame questioned quietly his eyes darting around trying to keep a lock on Naruto.

'_It's the only way to ensure that he doesn't give up on Sasuke…I __**need **__him to go through with his promise.' _That thought made something click in his head.

"Wasn't it true Naruto that you promised Sakura that you'd bring back Sasuke? From what I hear on the rumor reel is that she is now a prisoner of Orochimaru herself…are you going to abandon her along with your "brother"?" Itachi asked as blood began to slide down his cheek from his left eye.

Naruto's lip began to quiver.

"So I take it you're going to leave her there with Orochimaru him doing God can only imagine to her? And you should know that my brother wouldn't do anything to stop it. That isn't his style."

"Shut up!"

"Hit a nerve again didn't I? Do you still have an undying love for the pink haired girl?"

A chakra hand whipped out and caught onto Itachi's torso.

"Ugh, I guess I'm right after all."

Naruto threw him across the room where Kisame caught his partner before he could get seriously hurt. Setting Itachi on his feet Kisame held up his sword.

"Perhaps it's time we stopped playing around. As you can see the third tail is about to appear since you had to remind him of his so called 'promise'" Kisame retorted.

Itachi turned away from Kisame where a small smile played across his lips, it was hardly recognizable but it was still there.

The slits in Naruto's eyes narrowed even more if that was possible. On all fours Naruto moved his weight to his arms and sprung towards the pair.

There was a crack that sounded through the room and then everything fell dark.

* * *

'_Can I really give my life to Orochimaru? Could I honestly leave the village behind and all my friends and family that love me? All for the sake of love that might never exist? I'm crazy, utterly insane.'_

Sakura walked around the space that would now become her new 'home'. She thought the last base was bad but this one had it beat by a mile. There was no green around them at all, just sand. She hated sand, how it got everywhere and never seemed to leave. When it got in your eyes it hurt and if it ever ended up in your sandals there was no way of getting it out. It was just plain terrible.

Touching her stomach she sighed. So much was changing so fast and this new power she was acquiring was nothing to push to the side. It scared her how when she let it consume her how much it changed her, changed her thought process.

'_I'm becoming so…evil and twisted. Just like Orochimaru. Ugh! How could I have let things get this far? I need to get away from here fast…even if it means leaving Sasuke…' _

Her eyes fell downcast at her own thoughts. Leaving Sasuke would be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do. There was no way of getting around it though. The longer she stayed here the more she changed. She couldn't risk changing into a completely different person.

'_But Sasuke…could I really leave him after everything that's gone on between us. Can I leave him now that…' _

Sakura shook her head not wanting to think about it. This was Orochimaru's nest, who knew if he could be listening to her inner thoughts.

There was a light knock on her door; she instantly froze fearing it was the man she last thought of. The door swung slowly open revealing Sasuke Uchiha with his hand still on the knob.

Sakura gulped, "Well I'm glad it's you and not someone else…"

Sasuke closed his eyes and opened them as he entered the room and allowed the door to shut behind him.

"Did the training with Orochimaru go all right?" Sakura asked in a dead voice. Her eyes had fallen downward as he approached her.

"Tsk, same as usual."

A flash of guilt washed over her as she thought about her thoughts she had a moment before he entered. In one fluid motion she creased her stomach; green chakra glowed from her palm. Sasuke's eyes followed the motions of her hands.

"What's going on…you're hiding something from me."

A drop of sweat slid down the side of her face.

Sasuke noticed the way she bit her lower lip, she always did that when she was nervous. He smirked, he knew her so well that he could tell when she was hiding something.

Sakura jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking at the hand on her shoulder her green eyes locked with onyx ones.

'_Please don't make me tell you…if I can't bear to stand the thought I'm sure you won't be able to either.' _

Sasuke's eyes softened slightly as he gazed into hers.

"…tell me."

Forcing herself to look away she put her head in her hands, fisting her pink hair in her hands. She had to lie…she had to tell him anything but the truth.

"I thought…I really thought I could leave everything behind to be with you but…the end results are too much to bear. And Naruto…Orochimaru handed him over to Akatsuki I know he did. Naruto has been nothing but faithful to me and honest. He's part of my family and I can't just leave him behind like you did. I…I can't do that to Naruto and now I'm worried about him, all I can think about is what could possibly be happening this moment. Anything that happens to him is my fault. I should have never followed you when you were in town—I should have just stayed behind and let you leave my life—again, but no I had to be stupid and follow you and so now I'm here." She motioned with her hands to the room.

"I don't know if you even care but if Naruto really is in the Akatsuki's hands then he most likely will be killed."

Sasuke flinched slightly but covered it quickly, not quickly enough since Sakura now was leaning towards him.

"You still care, don't you? If you came with me we could go and find him and save him. We can be team 7 again, a family again."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Now you're going to start rambling about bonds aren't you?"

Sakura hung her head low as she fidgeted with her blouse.

"I know this is the last thing you want to hear but everyone at home wants you back. If anything happened to you when you came back to the village you can guarantee that Naruto and I would run away with you. He still believes in you and thinks of you. As long as you have someone thinking about you it's the place you'll return too."

Sasuke sighed exasperated, "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

Sakura raised her chin slowly forward her long bangs still covered her eyes.

"I can't stay here any longer. The more Orochimaru touches me…the more I change. You've seen me when I get in those modes when I'm someone completely different. If I stay here any longer I don't think I'll be able to hold onto the person I am. I'll become someone I'm not, someone evil…twisted."

A pit formed in Sasuke's stomach as he listened to her describe what was going on inside. The thought of her changing forever was something he wasn't sure he could quite accept. He began to chew on the inside of his cheek as his thought process kicked in.

Sakura felt unease as Sasuke didn't reply. There was something going on inside his head and she was positive he wasn't going to fill her in on what he was thinking.

"I know you have to kill Orochimaru and that you won't forget about Itachi but…," she trailed off as she took a deep breath, preparing herself.

"Sasuke there's something you should know about…"

Sasuke's hand froze where it was currently in his hair. What seemed like slow motion he turned so he was facing her completely.

"…."

Sweat began to make its way down Sakura's brow. What if he thought she was dirty, thought that she was good for nothing.

'_What if he doesn't want anything to do with me? What if…he thinks I'm just like Orochimaru? Will he even look at me the same again?' _

She bit her lower lip as her eyes bounced around the small room. Was this really a good idea, telling him what was going on with her? Was it right to tell him when it could possibly end everything they had?

"Sakura, what is it?" He snapped softly.

Sakura jumped slightly at the harshness of his voice. So far this wasn't a good sign at all. If he wasn't pleased right now then there was a strong chance that he would be furious by the time she was done talking.

'_Maybe it's best if I just don't tell him. That might be the only way to keep things hush, hush. Besides there's always that chance that is isn't his…that it's…' _

As Sasuke sat silently watching her, a new kind of pit formed. He found himself slightly sweating as the time slowly passed by. What could it be that had Sakura so panicked and worried? Had there ever been anything that had her so worn down before? Ever since she had been brought here she had shown great strength. She hardly cried and when she did it was only when her walls couldn't support her anymore. Sakura had really changed in the short time she had been with them.

"Has that pain come back?"

Sakura's head snapped but as she brought her knees to her chest.

"It did…right before you came into the room…"

"…Do you know what it means?" Sasuke asked carefully.

Sakura hid her face in her knees. Shaking her head she mumbled something but Sasuke couldn't quite make it out. Reaching out he placed his hand on her head. She jolted slightly at his touch but soon rested into it.

"Tell me."

Bringing her face up so he could clearly see her green eyes she inhaled.

"I think I know what it means. It's still a little shaky and hard to make out since I haven't really dealt with this before. With all my training with Tsunade you'd think it'd be easy for me to diagnose things but…when it's something that goes on with me it's harder. And I've listened to your warning and haven't gone to Kabuto about it," frowning she continued, "The signs are different then they should be when someone is but…I think I'm…I'm…I-I'm pregnant." It took her longer than it should have to say the word. Once she finished she hid her face back in her knees.

Sasuke was numb as he slowly let his hand fall from her head. She was…what?

'_This is unreal…she's…what?' _

Leaning his face on his hands he exhaled. This was serious if this was Orochimaru's plan from the beginning then they both were done for.

"Whose is it?"

Sakura flinched when he asked the question she had been dreading.

When she didn't answer him he began to lose the cool he once had.

"Is it mine or is it Orochimaru's for hell's sake!" his voice hadn't raised any but it was filled with anger, loathing.

Was it loathing towards him or her she couldn't tell.

"I—I don't know. That's the only thing I can't determine. I mean…the symptoms are different from normal symptoms…"

"…So you're saying it could most likely be," he swallowed hard, "bright eyes?"

"I hope to everything holy that it isn't. I don't know what I would do with myself if it turned out to be his. I don't know if I could live with myself…" Sakura exclaimed while crumbling onto the mattress.

Sasuke's eyes followed her form as she fell down on the bed. If this child truly was Orochimaru's then he would have no choice but to be rid of it.

Sakura placed her hands over her eyes as she began to shake her head. "I could make myself have a miscarriage but every time the thought crosses my mind it makes me sick. How can I destroy something that is innocent in all of this? They didn't do anything, all they did was exist, and it isn't like they planned it. I've murdered before sure, but they were all bad guys that had done something wrong. This child hasn't done anything wrong."

Sasuke's mind was going into overdrive as he tried to come up with a reason why Orochimaru would try something so risky. There were so many things that could go wrong if he tried to have offspring that it made things not add up.

"Sasuke please say something." Sakura grumbled after a few moments. Sasuke moved until his back was resting against the wall the bed was pushed against.

"…what do you want me to say?"

"Say I'm evil that I'm a monster for letting something like this happen," Sakura replied without missing a beat.

Sasuke chuckled without any humor.

"How can you control this? It wasn't like you asked for him to do you every night. Orochimaru had this planned since the moment he brought you to the hideout. I just should have seen it coming."

Moving her hands so she could look up at him she frowned.

"Don't you dare start blaming yourself for this! There's no way you would have been able to see this coming. You were just doing what you were told; he made it so you wouldn't have any clue to what was going on. He was the one that played you so you shouldn't blame yourself, you should be upset and angry at him."

"It could be mine."

Sakura's eyes locked with his as he spoke.

Her cheeks reddened slightly when she nodded, "Yeah it could be."

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair which he seemed to do a lot when he was thinking.

"It's possible that that was his goal in the first place."

Sakura moved so her weight was resting on her elbows so she could look at him fully.

"Why would he do that? Did he really think that we'd get together? He must have been playing on a fly because

there was a huge chance that that might not have worked."

"Which would be why he messed around with you as well. He would have a backup plan just in case his initial one didn't play out."

Sakura moved so she was sitting Indian style, not caring that she was in a mini skirt.

"But that still doesn't tell me why he'd want me pregnant."

Sasuke smirked, "You haven't caught onto it yet? He wants to have insurance that he'll have another body that can replace mine once it gives out. So what better way than to make sure there's another Uchiha to fill the order?"

The color drained from Sakura's face.

"And if he couldn't have one of your children then he would create one of his own that he'd use. But could he really do that? Could he use his own child in order to survive longer?"

Sasuke gazed off into the distance.

"Orochimaru wants to learn all the Jutsu he can, so if he has to kill his own in order to fulfill that dream then he won't hesitate."

Bile rose in Sakura's throat.

"He makes me sick, someone needs to finish him off once and for all."

Sasuke was winding an invisible thread around his pointer finger.

"Don't worry I have that part covered. Right now we need to get you out of here. When he finds out that you're pregnant he'll put heavy guards to watch over you morning and night. It will make it almost impossible for you to escape."

Sakura straightened up.

"Wait…it sounds like you're planning on staying here…I can't leave you behind." She leaned over so she was grasping his shirt. Sasuke's eyes hadn't moved from the spot he was looking at.

"Sasuke please don't do this…I can help you finish him off…please…"

"If this child is mine I don't want you doing anything that can put you or it in danger. Do you understand?" His voice was so hard that it left no room for arguments.

Sakura's forehead hit into his chest as she collapsed into him, she began to tremble after a few moments. Sasuke was still numb from the reality of the situation that it was hard for him to lift his arms and hold her to him, but with some effort he was able to hold her, gently.

"I don't want it to be his…" a sob broke through her throat, "I want it to be yours…only yours."

Sasuke closed his eyes as he held her more tightly.

"Me too…" he whispered so softly that she couldn't hear it over the sobs that were slowly beginning to take over her.

After a few minutes that seemed like an eternity she pulled herself away from him. Wiping her eyes she smiled,

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to fall apart like that."

He shrugged, "It's reasonable. You're…so you're entitled to have mood swings."

Sakura swung at him playfully at his answer.

Sasuke turned serious a second later.

"We need to get you out of here and to Konoha. Once you're there you have Tsunade check you out and you find out who that child belongs too. You hear? When I see you next I want to know if it's mine or _his_." He hissed the last part severely.

Sakura nodded her head indicating that she understood.

"But how am I going to get out of here?"

"Simple, whenever we arrive at a new base Orochimaru and Kabuto go out and investigate the area to make sure there are no Ninja's camped out anywhere nearby. Once they leave that will be the time we leave."

"Don't they usually take you along?" Sakura questioned.

Sasuke shook his head.

"I don't go; I usually give them the glare and a cold shoulder when they ask. They know not to ask me to do things that don't interest me."

"Rrright, they're afraid of you, they always say you're cranky."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "well in our case it's good and well they believe that."

"Believe? They know." Sakura snickered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he stood up.

"They'll be leaving shortly so get ready. You should only take a small pack that way you'll be able to move quicker. The faster we get out of here the better."

Sakura stood up as Sasuke tossed her a small pack. Holding onto it she smiled.

"Thank you Sasuke."

"Hmm."

When she looked up she wasn't surprised to see he was already gone.

A few minutes later she had finished packing. She only had essential things that she could get by with until she reached the village. Swiftly and silently she swung her pack onto her shoulders. Taping her foot against the stone floor she waited. How long did it take Sasuke to get ready?

'_Sometimes I wonder if he's secretly like a girl.' _

The doorknob turned and Sakura couldn't help but hold her breath. Was Sasuke telling her the truth when he said Orochimaru would leave to scout the area? What if this was him coming into her bedroom to take advantage of her?

A smile formed on her lips when she saw who was staring blankly back at her.

"What? It's not like you won the lottery or anything." Sasuke stated without emotion.

Sakura ran so she was standing in the doorway directly in front of him.

"I'm just glad it's you and not snake face." She said giggly.

One eyebrow rose on Sasuke. Sakura put her hands on her sides, her smile vanishing.

"Gee what's your probably mister stern? I swear if you weren't helping me get out of here I'd punch your face in."

Sasuke found the statement amusing. He smirked in return.

"I doubt you'd be able to reach that high."

Sakura huffed about to come up with a comeback when he turned around so she was looking at his back.

"If we're getting you out of here we need to leave now. Orochimaru left a few minutes ago and he'll be gone for a

few hours. It's going to take us at _least _that much if not longer to get you there."

Sakura twisted a strand of pink hair around her index finger.

"I'm not that slow you know. I've been training with Orochimaru as well so don't think I'm the same as I was before I got kidnapped. I can keep up with you."

"I doubt that."

"Sasuke you better watch it!" her voice began to steadily rise.

"…."

"Oh you have nothing to say?!" she stated sarcastically.

"You're defiantly pregnant."

"WHAT? Now you're dissing me because I'm carrying something in the oven?"

"Interesting wording."

Sakura pulled her fist back; blue chakra began to build in her fist. Hitting out with extreme force she aimed for the center of his back.

He vanished in a blink of an eye and ended up behind her. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder and looked down at her. Anger welled up inside her causing her cheeks to turn red with fresh blood.

"Enough of this banter; we need to leave, now."

Sakura sighed as she was forced to call truths with this man she found herself madly in love with.

"You're right, we don't have much time and here I am wasting it."

"Exactly."

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she followed Sasuke out of the compound. They added chakra to their run as they dashed across the sand exterior. When they were about 15 miles away from the base Sasuke stopped short.

"We'll never make it at this rate. This is going to use a lot of chakra but I don't see any other alternative."

Sakura gazed at him quietly, waiting for him to fill her in on what was running through his head.

"We'll have to teleport."

Warning bells flew off in her mind.

"Wait…doesn't that take a lot of chakra…if you do that then you won't have any chakra left to get back."

Sasuke was silent which made her panic a little.

"If that happens Sasuke then Orochimaru will know that you helped me escape…I don't want to find out that you're dead."

"I'm not going to die, I have a revenge to handle don't I?"

Sakura bit her lower lip.

"I don't know, maybe I should teleport us and that way you'll be able to get back…"

"No! You haven't completely mastered it. You could end up leaving a body part here. I'm sorry but I don't want to take that risk." Sasuke snapped.

Sakura groaned. There was no changing Sasuke's mind when he made it up. That was one of the things she loved about him, except when he did stupid things like this.

"What are you going to tell Orochimaru hm?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"I could care less what I come up with to tell him. I'm going to be killing him soon anyway."

He walked over to her and pulled her unexpectedly into his arms, bringing her close to his chest. Blood rushed to her cheeks from the close proximity.

"Now enough arguing. This is the only way, I'm not going to have Orochimaru find out about your condition."

Sakura leaned her head against his chest. Sand began to rise around them as Sasuke activated the chakra that was necessary for the teleportation.

There were only a few times that he let emotions show. Was it possible that he wanted this child to be his? Was a baby the one thing that could bring Sasuke back to the village? Back to team 7?

'_I hope more than anything that this child that is growing inside of me is his. This could be the last thing to finally bring him back home where he belongs. Back with me…we're we can be a family. Or at least I hope we can be a family.' _

As fast as it happened it was soon over. Sakura opened her eyes as Sasuke's arms dropped from around her. She blinked a couple of times to help her eyes adjust to the new area.

There were millions of green trees around. When she inhaled she recognized the scent. She was back, she was home! She smiled up at Sasuke and jumped slightly so she could fling her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Thank you!"

After all that he had been through with her he couldn't help but notice how truly happy she was. Bringing her back home was the only thing that made her really smile. A sharp pain went through his heart at the thought. Perhaps there wasn't a way for them to be now. He couldn't return to the village…not after all he had done.

"I can't believe I'm finally home. I've missed it so much…" Sakura rambled on for a few moments. When she felt the change in the air she turned back to Sasuke.

"You're exhausted. There's no way you can get back to the base."

Sasuke shook his head.

"I'll start back on foot. After a few hours I should have enough chakra to make the jump again."

"But if you walk there's more chance that you'll be spotted."

Sasuke shook his head.

"I'm only seen when I want to be seen."

Her eyes fell downcast. Hesitantly his hand reached out as he placed it on her left cheek. She sighed and leaned into his touch.

"You send me word when you find out."

She nodded her head indicating that she understood. They stood like that for a couple of minutes. A sound of a twig snapping filled their ears. Sakura's heart sped up with anxiety as her eyes darted around the area. Sasuke was doing the same but more calmly.

"You need to go." Sakura spoke quietly.

Sasuke nodded once as he began to back up. Sakura watched as he began to walk away from her.

"Be safe…" she whispered to the empty space that was around her. With a new hope in her heart she turned around and began the short walk to the gates of Konoha.

The Ninja's stationed at the gates gapped in awe as she strode towards them. After recovering from the shock one of the stood up and ran to meet her.

"Is that you Sakura?"

Sakura smiled cheerfully at him. Her outfit was ripped and dirty from the sand and her face was smudged with dirt. Her hair was a swirl of disaster from the teleportation Jutsu.

"Alive and in the flesh."

"The Hokage will be thrilled that you have returned."

Sakura's green eyes gleamed as the Ninja waved to his partner at the post.

"I'll be back! I'm escorting Lady Sakura to the Hokage."

His partner nodded in acknowledgement.

"How did you escape from Sound?"

Sakura looked around at all familiar places she hadn't seen in what seemed liked ages.

"Shouldn't I wait to tell my tale until we're in front of the Hokage? I don't mean any disrespect but I'd like to only have to explain once."

The Ninja chuckled, "Yes, yes, of course."

They reached the Hokage's doors, Sakura found herself slightly nervous to see her Sensei again. Would she be able to tell that Orochimaru had added some of his powers to her own?

"Enter!"

The Ninja that was at her side opened the door.

"Lady Tsunade we have great news. Lady Sakura has returned from the clutches of the Sound."

Tsunade stood on her feet, her papers and books tumbling to the ground.

"What? She's back?"

The Ninja bowed his head respectfully.

"Yes she has returned."

"Let her in."

He stepped aside to allow Sakura access into the room. Steadily Sakura walked into the room. Tsunade gasped when she came into few. Sakura wasn't surprised by her reaction. She had changed quite a bit since she was taken. Her hair was longer than it was before and she had grown more mature.

Forgetting that the Ninja was in the room with them Tsunade ran over to her apprentice.

"Oh Sakura! I'm so happy that you are back safe and sound." Sakura smiled as she reached out and put her arms around her Sensei. Everything was going to be okay now; she had the best medical Ninja in the world right here to help her through the trials that were sure to follow.

"Sensei I was so scared…"

Tsunade held her close; her eyes fell onto the Ninja that was still there.

"Bring Kakashi here. He needs to see this for his own eyes."

The Ninja kneeled on the ground and covered his heart.

"Yes M'Lady."

Then he was gone. Tsunade turned her full attention to her pupil.

"Tell me everything."

So Sakura told her tale. She left out some of the details that didn't have any significant information.

"He would…touch me and…" she trailed off, trying to fight off the images that flooded her mind from bringing up the horrible.

Tsunade's expression turned dangerous.

"Orochimaru…once I find him I'm going to punch him until there is nothing left!"

Choosing to ignore Tsunade's outburst Sakura continued.

"But when he was with me Kabuto said he was transferring some of his powers onto me. Kabuto also said that I'd been the only one that can handle having Orochimaru inside of me physically…while I was there, there were times when I wasn't myself. I would lose control because of anger and…something would happen. Sasuke told me that my chakra turns purple when that happens. Sensei…what did he do to me?" Sakura's voice cracked at the end.

Tsunade placed her fingers on her forehead.

"Sakura I don't know, but I promise you I'm going to find out."

"There's another thing…I'm…I…" Sakura couldn't find the words to continue. So instead she reached out and grasped one of Tsunade's hands bringing it to rest on her stomach.

Her eyes bore into Tsunade's as Tsunade began to examine. Her eyes widened when Sakura knew she understood what she could not put into words.

"Is it?"

"I don't know whose it is."

"But you said Orochimaru…"

"…I wasn't only with Orochimaru…" Sakura admitted softly.

"Then who else?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura inhaled deeply, preparing herself for the possible outburst that could implode.

"While I was there I was able to grow closer to Sasuke…and…" she reached up to grasp the locket that hung around her neck. Pulling it out slowly she showed it to her Master.

"He grew to have feelings for me back. We…did things when Orochimaru wasn't around…it was a secret between us."

Tsunade was shocked into silence. Sakura bit her bottom lip as Tsunade continued to stare at her.

'_Great, Tsunade was always telling me to get over Sasuke, that he was a dead beat so there was no point in holding onto my love for him. She's going to be furious that I slept with him…I just know it.' _

Tsunade licked her lips to moisten them.

"Thank everything that is holy."

Sakura was shocked by her reply, "Um…what?"

"We better do some tests to find out whose child that is you're carrying. I pray to whatever is up there that you are carrying the Uchiha's child. If it turns out to be Orochimaru's we may have no choice but to abort it," she raised her hands in the air by the look Sakura was giving her.

"I promise that it will be the last resort. But if Orochimaru was planning on this happening that means it's bad for us if it goes down the way he wants it."

There was a popping sound and smoke as someone entered the room.

"Yo, I heard that Sakura had returned…now I find out that it's not only her but a baby as well?"

"Kakashi next time come through the front door like a normal person." Tsunade snapped.

"Kakashi- Sensei!" Sakura yelled as she threw arms around him. Kakashi smiled from under his mask as he returned her embrace.

"I tried to find you kid but for some reason we couldn't get close to the base."

"I know you tried your best Kakashi- Sensei…by the way…did you get Naruto back?"

Kakashi's smile faded from his face and Tsunade turned grim.

"There's been no word about Naruto, and we haven't had the resources to send a team out to look for him."

Tsunade answered before Kakashi could.

Sakura held onto Kakashi tighter.

"Kakashi- Sensei…we can't leave him there…we'll go and bring him back."

"Don't worry about it Sakura. Naruto will find his way back to the village, he always does." Kakashi answered, sidestepping the part about her accompanying him along.

"Right now we need to take some blood samples to find out who's child that is." Tsunade returned to all business. Kakashi let go of Sakura to allow her to follow behind Tsunade to the hospital. Sakura glanced over her shoulder.

"You better be there with me Kakashi- Sensei. You never know you might be proud to find out it belongs to the student that you couldn't help but allow the feelings of him being your son overwhelm you."

Kakashi waved to her but didn't reply.

'_Yes I might feel that…but I also feel as though he used you for his purposes…and that is something I don't think I _

_can ever forgive.' _

Sakura sat with her hands nervously in her lap. Tsunade had just left to put the blood samples to test. They wouldn't find out the child genes for a few hours at the least.

Entering the room Tsunade tossed the rubber gloves she was wearing into the trash.

"I'm glad we still had some old blood from Sasuke when he was still in the village. Of course there wasn't any of

Orochimaru's but I've known him enough that I'd know his genes anywhere."

Sakura didn't reply, her hands where twisting her red halter top.

"Sakura, calm down. Don't worry we'll fix anything that happens, all right? There's no reason for you to be worried like you are."

Sakura forced herself to smile.

"I know I just…I don't want it to be Orochimaru's…I'd give anything to know for certain its Sasuke's."

"I know how you feel Sakura. But the best thing for you to do right now is rest. Can you do that for me?"

Sakura nodded her head as she allowed herself to fall down onto the soft mattress.

"Just sleep and I'll wake you when the results are in."

Sakura grasped her wrist before she could leave the room.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade smiled at Sakura while leaning down to place a small kiss to her forehead.

"Sleep well Sakura."

Sakura allowed her eyes to slowly shut, leaving her mind in darkness.

3 hours later.

Sakura swatted at the annoying person that seemed to find it enjoying nudging her. Groaning she flipped onto her opposite side to get away from the annoying thing.

"Sakura…Sakura…" the voice continued to call her name and the person that belonged to the voice began to shake her gently by the shoulders.

"Mmm…g'off…" Sakura muttered still in her dream world where her and Sasuke were living happily.

"Sakura, we have the results…wake up Sakura."

Sakura grumbled some more and the voice sighed.

"All right, you asked for it," there was another set of footsteps that stopped at the edge of the bed.

"It's all up to you Kakashi."

"Right…like I can do any better."

"Just do it."

There was a sound of the faucet letting water into a glass and then it was silent again. Sakura snuggled deeply into the pillows when she was suddenly thrust upon by cold tap water.

"GAHH! What? I'm awake okay? But why am I all wet?" She hollered.

Kakashi set the glass on the counter and pulled out his famous blue book. Sakura glared daggers in his direction but he didn't seem to pay attention.

Tsunade cleared her throat to bring Sakura's attention to her. That's when Sakura noticed the papers she held in her hands.

"You have the results?"

"Yes I do."

"…well?"

"Sakura…the father of your baby is…"

* * *

**A/N: So sorry to cut it off like that. My beta didn't like that I did that either so she said I need to get the next chapter out to her fast, lol. No worries I'm only like five pages into that chapter but it should be done shortly. Tell me what you guys think! Please, please review, I have a lot of people adding it to their favorites but hardly reviewing...I know it takes me a while to get the story out but it's good to know I'm at least trying, right? Anyway I'm going to stop this note and let you guys push the green review button :D I hope you all have a great day!! **


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Sakura…the father of your baby is…" Tsunade paused as she scanned the sheet in front of her. Sakura could hear her heart pounding in her chest loudly.

Kakashi shifted his weight from the opposite leg. His calm exterior evaporated and now was covered with concern. Sakura held her breath to try to steady her heartbeat, which ended up speeding up with lack of oxygen.

"Will you tell us the name already?" Kakashi asked annoyance present in his voice.

Tsunade looked up from the results and exhaled.

"Well it doesn't look like we have anything to worry about. You'll be just fine Sakura. I never thought I could forgive Sasuke but…with the alternative I think I could kiss him."

Sakura and Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"So you're saying her child is Sasuke's?" Kakashi clarified.

Tsunade handed the paper over to Kakashi who took it quickly and scanned the results for himself.

"That's what I'm saying. To be honest I was afraid it would turn out to be Orochimaru's; if that was the case then we would have to do something to make sure that child never came into the world. Or at least do something to make sure that nothing horrible would happen to Sakura."

Sakura glanced at the paper in Kakashi's hands. When she saw the line that stated that Sasuke truly was the father, relief washed through her.

Kakashi glanced at her with his eye that was not covered by his headband.

"Is this what you wanted?"

Sakura nodded her head quickly, trying hard to hold back the tears of joy that wanted to cascade down her cheeks.

"Y-Yes, I didn't want it to be anyone else's. I just hope this is what Sasuke wants…"

Kakashi's eye never left her face.

"Sakura…Sasuke helped you escape didn't he?"

Sakura bit her lip as she looked down at her hands that rested in her lap. Kakashi took that as a yes.

"I'm afraid that he's using you Sakura, using you for his own sick pleasure."

"I don't think so Kakashi-Sensei! Before we did…things he was worried about hurting me. Even though he's scary most of the time sometimes he lets his old self come out. There's still so much good in him." Sakura expressed emotionally.

Kakashi studied her facial expression. Perhaps Sakura was right about Sasuke, and if she was he would become the happiest man alive.

Tsunade reached and took the results from Kakashi.

"Well now that we know who's the father it's time to make plans to protect you. No doubt Orochimaru will come looking for you once he discovers you are no longer in the base. My guess is he already knows that Sasuke is the father and therefore he will be looking for you in order to take your child away from you."

Kakashi's head snapped over to look into Tsunade's deep eyes.

"You think he wants Sakura's child?"

"Isn't it obvious? He wants to make sure he has a good host to last him for millions of years. So it's no surprise to me that he went through all this trouble to make sure something happened to Sakura."

Sakura looked out the window. Everything had started on that night she had decided to run away from the village in order to find Sasuke and bring him back. It seems that had backfired quite a bit.

"I can be on 24 hour watch."

"Kakashi you can't protect her all hours of the day. No, you will take shifts with the other Jonin that I will assign to this mission." Tsunade cut in.

Tsunade began to explain the plan that was forming in her head while Kakashi listened intently. His eye brows lowered at one point and Sakura wondered if Tsunade was suggesting something Kakashi apparently didn't agree with. Turning her attention back to the window she began to center her chakra and her newly acquired chakra. She could fill it swirling inside of her as it moved at her command.

'_I need to get word to Sasuke somehow, and in a way that Orochimaru won't be able to trace…a way he won't be able to see.' _

Her eyes fell closed as the chakra began to slowly leave her body. There was one way she would be able to send a message and hopefully Sasuke would be able to deceiver it and understand. If worse came to worse then she would take the chance and head back to the base that was if they were still there.

Tsunade stopped mid-sentence when she felt a big amount of chakra discharge. Turning around she looked at her student that currently had her eyes closed.

'_What in tarnation is she doing? With that kind of chakra Orochimaru will be able to trace her.' _

Taking a step towards her she was stopped by Kakashi's outstretched hand.

"Leave it."

She gave him a stern look and he shrugged his shoulders. She moved her head towards the door indicating they should talk outside. Kakashi followed her a few moments later with his hands in his pockets.

"Why did you stop me? With that amount of chakra she could—"

"Let her give word to the father of her child. He deserves to know that the baby she carries is his and not the monster he serves." Kakashi replied effortlessly.

Tsunade's mouth hardened as she thought about the statement. Kakashi looked into the room through the square window that was on the door. The young girl he had trained since she was 12 sat still, her eyes still closed. She was reaching out desperately to her teammate she thought she had lost a couple of years ago. One she had never given up on…one Naruto had never given up on.

"What are we going to do about Naruto?" Kakashi asked with his back still turned to the Hokage.

Tsunade sighed as she placed her hand on her forehead.

"I haven't fully determined what to do. I know we need to retrieve him but at this moment we have no leads and therefore no way of finding where Itachi took him. I don't feel comfortable with sending a scouting team out with Orochimaru on a rampage. We might have to wait for a couple more days before we are able to send one out."

"We wait a couple more days and its likely Naruto will be dead. You certain this is the only way?"

Kakashi speculated.

"What else am I supposed to do Kakashi? There is no way we can afford to go after him when there are no possible leads."

The door opening captured their attention. Sakura stood before them, leaning against the now closed door.

"If I got you the lead would you send someone after Naruto? He's in trouble because of me and I want to fix it. I need him to be here with me through this," she said motioning towards her belly.

"How would you be able to do that?" Tsunade asked critically.

Sakura looked off to the side for a moment, and then she allowed her eyes to turn to look at her Sensei.

"I've gained some new powers from Orochimaru and even if I'm not able to find him I know Sasuke can. If I can get to Sasuke and ask him to do this then I'm certain we can find Naruto and therefore help you in order to send a team after him."

"But will Sasuke really help you? For all he's concerned he only wants to get even with his brother, am I right?"

Kakashi cleared his throat.

"That may be true but if Sasuke truly does have feelings for Sakura then he just might be willing to do anything for her. I think we should let her try to get through to him and see what happens. Right now that's our lead and we need to follow through with it. If we don't then there really is no hope for getting Naruto back."

"We _will _get Naruto back. Lady Tsunade I can't go through this without him. Sasuke won't be able to be here and no offense but Naruto fills a gap that you guys can't. I just need him."

Tsunade folded her arms as she looked deeply into her pupil's eyes. She wasn't surprised to see the determination that had always been present during their training sessions. This was a girl that was determined to bring her friend back, now her lover it appeared.

"Even if I told you that you couldn't you'd go behind my back. I know how you and Naruto work. All right you can call for Sasuke; my only restriction is you can't leave the fire boundaries." Sakura jumped up and down while Tsunade cleared her throat, "however, Kakashi will be going with you. I don't want you doing this alone."

Sakura went rigid.

"I don't know if he's ready to see Kakashi-Sensei."

"Well he's going to have to see him. Kakashi! You will accompany Sakura in seeing and asking Sasuke for his help. If it turns south I want you to handle the situation you see best, I do not want her hurt, do you understand?"

Kakashi nodded his head once. Tsunade turned her attention back to her student.

"Sakura you cannot forget that you are pregnant, if Sasuke doesn't want the news then don't tell him. You need to be more careful now."

"I know Tsunade-Sama. I'll do my best and I promise he'll help us find Naruto."

"For Naruto's sake I hope you're right." With that she turned on her heels and walked away leaving Sakura and Kakashi watching after her.

"So…do you really think you can get a hold of Sasuke?"

Sakura sighed, "I really hope I can. He might not answer just because he doesn't want Orochimaru finding out about anything. I just hope he did what he said he was going to do."

"Which is?"

"Kill him."

"Orochimaru?"

"That's the one."

Kakashi was momentarily shocked.

"Uh…what makes you think Sasuke is ready to sever that bond?"

Sakura snickered, "Bond? You think Sasuke has a bond with him? Hardly, in fact he's been getting tired of all the bossing around Orochimaru does. He told me when he dropped me off that he was going to finish things. He's ready to be on his own now; he's strong Kakashi- Sensei, very strong."

Kakashi leaned his head against the wall.

"Well that's to be expected. He was strong before he left, I can only imagine how much he's grown."

Sakura clasped her hands together in front of her.

"He misses you Kakashi-Sensei."

His eye widened in awe.

"Sasuke?"

Sakura smiled fondly at him.

"Who else? You know Naruto and I love you so Sasuke is the only one that you didn't know about. Even if he doesn't say it I can see it. He's still the little boy we knew."

Kakashi chuckled as he watched her sweet expression that fluttered across her face.

"If you say so."

Sakura rested her hands on her hips.

"You remind me so much of Naruto!"

"It appears that this pregnancy has made you far more moody then you've ever been." Kakashi amused with a teasing glint in his eye.

Sakura huffed as she turned away from him. Her mind got away with her as it conjured an image of Sasuke. Darkness seemed to settle over her as she realized how much she missed him nagging at her and teasing her, or being just plain mean to her.

Kakashi sensed the change in Sakura's manner and it unsettled him.

"Sakura?"

Pasting on a smile to please her old Sensei she smiled sweetly at him, it never seemed to touch her eyes.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Kakashi stepped towards her as he placed his hands on her small shoulders.

"You are still only a teenager. Allow me to help you…how bout we head over to my place and you can try to send a message to Sasuke from there?"

Her eyes were hallowing as she answered him, "Yeah that'd be a great."

'_We need to get her back to Sasuke. At this present moment she won't make it without him. Why she has grown so attached to him I don't think I'll ever understand. Although when he was in Team 7 I became very fond of him as well. So perhaps I do understand…' _

Kakashi held out his arm. Sakura looked at him and then at his arm questionably.

"You're not going to walk there by yourself."

A real smile began to tug at the corners of her lips but it didn't go from Kakashi's notice when she forced the smile to subside.

Many stares followed them as they made their way down the street. Sakura kept her head down; the only time she looked up was when she was responding to something Kakashi was saying. Once they neared the building that his house was in Sakura's footsteps faltered.

"Are you sure you want me to do this in your house? You never know something might go terribly wrong…"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders

"I'd rather be with you while you did this then to have you alone and then something happen. If you do end up sending off rather scary vibes I'll make sure to put a stop to it before anything happens to my Make out Paradise series."

Sakura giggled as he opened the door.

"We couldn't have that happening could we?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No I'd be very upset if anything happened to them."

Sakura gazed around the simple living room that greeted her once she walked in. It was neat which is more than could be said for Naruto's house and there seemed to be more of a woman's touch.

"Hey Kakashi…did you meet someone while I was gone?"

"Hm?"

Sakura's bare feet made light noise as she walked into the kitchen where Kakashi was stirring something in a pot.

"It just seems to have more of a womanly touch then it used too."

"Oh _that_…well you could say that Tsunade has been giving me grief about how un-homey it looks. She was tired of always seeing it so she made Shizune come and fix it up a bit."

Sakura smiled at him. Kakashi could see the glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

"So are you and Shizune?"

Kakashi sighed as he shook his head.

"Sorry to disappoint you Sakura but no, she's just someone that Tsunade has made sure to send over when I'm not around to keep my place up. I guess she thinks that since I'm a great Ninja that my house should be great too. I don't understand it."

Sakura's gaze fell to the simple table that was in the middle of the kitchen.

"Kakashi? Has there ever been a girl that you cared for? Wanted to be with more than anyone or anything?"

He faltered in his movements as he turned to look at Sakura. Sakura could see the pain in his eye as she began to blush from embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked such a personal question, you've always been one to keep those things private and here I am asking you and—"

"No it's okay," Kakashi cut her off, "There was someone…but they are no longer here."

Sakura wringed her hands together as she took a step closer to Kakashi.

"Did you want to marry her?"

"…yes…"

"Did she know that?"

"…no…"

Sakura sighed as she let her arms encircle him, bringing him closer to her.

"I'm sure she knows now though. I bet in her house in the sky she looks over you and can't help but smile. I'm sure she loved you back Kakashi- Sensei."

Kakashi awkwardly accepted his students embrace. After a few moments he pushed her lightly away from him so he could look down into her green eyes.

"Don't you want to try to contact Sasuke? Naruto doesn't have much time left."

Sakura bit her lip as she began to feel that uneasy feeling that started at the pit of her stomach. She jumped slightly when Kakashi pushed a strand of her long pink hair behind her ear.

"I feel like you aren't here. What's going on?"

"I guess I'm afraid Orochimaru might catch onto the signal like Lady Tsunade said. I can't have him finding out where I am, although I'm sure he already knows where I am by now…"

Kakashi leaned against the counter, folding his arms across his wide chest.

"I promise I won't let anything happen to you Sakura. I'm not going to let another one of my students be taken away from me. I will give my life to protect you and that baby." He motioned towards her with his right hand.

Sakura began to chew the inside of her mouth. What if everything turned out being so wrong in the end? What if Orochimaru did find out and he came years later to claim her child as his own? What if Sasuke wasn't strong enough to get rid of him? There seemed to be too many variables to consider in this confusing equation.

"Sakura…if you're going to do this it has to be now. Wait much longer and I'm sure Akatsuki will already have Naruto killed."

'_Naruto…I can't just leave him, forget about him. He's always been a constant figure in my life. He would never dream of leaving me…and yet I left him—but I'm back now! I'm __**not **__going to let him die.' _

Sakura closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. The purple chakra that had been building up inside of her began to circulate throughout her whole being. She soon forgot everything that was happening around her; her only focus was on him.

'_Sasuke please hear me…or feel me or whatever it is I'm doing to try to get you to listen. You need to go find Naruto…before it's too late. I know you say you don't want anything to do with him but I know you better. You're suffering just as much as Naruto…you've been struggling without him. Even if you aren't willing to admit it; you need him. Just like he needs you…I know it's a lot to ask but Tsunade is ready to give up on him. I can't let that happen, please Sasuke…please help me find him.' _

Sakura continued to call out to him for several minutes. Sweat began to slide down the sides of her face. Kakashi gazed at her as all this occurred. Finally after ten minutes he moved from his leaning position and touched her shoulder. She jumped when he made contact with her.

"If Sasuke is going to help he will. Right now I think it's best if you got some sleep. You need to keep your health up now more than ever. This baby is going to take a lot out of you."

"How can I sleep Kakashi- Sensei? Naruto is out there by himself—he's probably hurt. I know about every scar he's gotten since he's come back from training with Pervy Sage…I need to be with him right now. He needs me…"

Kakashi's eye lowered slightly.

"You know about his feelings for you, don't you?"

She titled her head slightly to the left. Didn't Naruto think of her as a sister just as she thought of him as a brother? What more could he feel towards her?

"…loves you…"

Sakura's eyes widened as she tuned into the last part of Kakashi's sentence.

"Wait, what?"

Kakashi sighed through his mask.

"Naruto loves you Sakura. He loves you more than anything else in this world."

An invisible hand seemed to reach out and slap her hard across the face.

Naruto love her? Now that she thought back on it she could see that it was true. Her hair fell over her face, casting her face into shadow. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides she bit her lower lip.

"Naruto…he knew about my feelings for Sasuke. But how can I explain what happened between me and him when Naruto doesn't know what Sasuke's like? I don't want to see his sad smile because he knows…"

"…that there's no chance in changing your mind…Sakura he already knows. He's known since the first time he saw the look on your face when you realized it was so much more than just a little crush. And the moment you asked him to bring Sasuke back for you…I believe that's when it really sunk in for him."

Blood began to trickle down her chin from the pressure she put on it from her teeth. _'Naruto…why didn't you say something to me? Why didn't you talk to me about it…I may have…' _

Sakura shook her head. What was she thinking? She's always been devoted to Sasuke; would knowing about Naruto really have changed that?

Memories between her Naruto flashed through her mind. One stood out above all others.

_A pounding sounded at her front door. Sakura barely made any movements indicating that she heard the commotion going on downstairs. Her mother looked up the stairs in the direction of her daughter's room. She had been in there for days…ever since that Sasuke boy left. _

_Pulling the door opened she was surprised to see a blonde hair boy with wide blue eyes staring back at her. _

"_Is Sakura here? She didn't come to training with Kakashi- Sensei this morning. I was afraid that maybe she was sick or…" _

"_She's upstairs in her room. You're welcome to go up there if you like. But I'm going to prepare you. Sakura isn't the same at the moment…when you talk to her she might not respond." _

_Sakura's mother watched as the boy's expression became full of dread. She smiled sadly at him as she reached out and touched his cheek lightly. He was startled by the contact but quickly regained his composure. _

"_We all know you tried your hardest to bring him back. She doesn't blame you Naruto. Please don't look so down when you go up to see her." _

"_Mrs. Haruno…I'm hurting too. I—I wanted to bring him back for her but…I also wanted to bring him back for me…I didn't want to…" he clenched his hands tightly into fists. As he closed his eyes tightly she could clearly see the pain etched on his face. _

_She placed her hands gently on his small shoulders. 'This boy shouldn't have to deal with so much pain at this age.' _

"_Naruto…it isn't your fault. You __**have **__to believe that. Right now Sakura is going through a time when she feels like there was something more she could have done. You have done everything you can for him." _

_Naruto opened his eyes and looked up into the shinning green orbs. 'Her eyes are so much like Sakura's…' _

"_There's more I can do for him. I will become stronger in order to bring him back. I'm going to keep my promise and I'm going to save Sasuke." _

_Her mother couldn't help but giggle. "Yes I'm sure you will Naruto. We all have faith in you and your abilities. Now run up there before she jumps out the window because she knows you're here." _

_Naruto ran to the first stair and turned around and gave her the thumbs up. _

"_Don't worry Sakura will come out of this, believe it!" then he bolted up the rest of the stairs. Once he got to the door her knew she would be behind he sighed. Would Sakura ever get over Sasuke leaving? Or was she going to have this big black cloud hanging over her head for the rest of her life? He twisted the knob slowly and looked inside the room. The drapes were closed so no light could enter except through the small crack that wouldn't close all the way. The room was neat and tidy and there didn't seem to be anything on the floor that shouldn't have been there already. His eyes roamed the room and landed on the spoken girl he was looking for. She was sitting on her bed with her back against the wall; a small photo frame in her hands. _

_Naruto pushed the door wider to allow him to enter. He closed the door behind him and walked up to her. He sat down on the edge of her bed and looked out across the room to her bookshelf. _

"_You missed training this morning…" _

_He wasn't surprised when no answer came. He closed his eyes as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. _

"_Sakura…please talk to me. I know you're really upset that I wasn't able to bring him back home right away but I promise I'll bring him back." _

"_Naruto…you remember what I said to you in the hospital. The next time you go after him I'm coming with you. It's…just going to take me a while to catch up with you. But I will. Please don't blame yourself for not being able to bring him back…no one would have been able too." _

_Naruto turned his head so she was in his view. The girl he was madly in love with and here she was…worrying over his best friend. He gulped as he scooted so he was leaning against the wall next to her. His eyes fell down to the frame and he couldn't help the smile that escaped. _

"_I remember that day. You were so excited to be in a picture with Sasuke. You were saying something mean to me and I got upset. Sasuke smirked at me as if saying, "that's right you loser, the girl likes me better, your loss," I remember being so upset and vowing that one day I would punch him down and he'd finally admit how good I was. When Kakashi- Sensei put his hand on our heads like that…it felt like we were all a family. It…was a nice feeling." _

_When a wet drop landed on the frame he brought his blue eyes up to look at Sakura. Tears were cascading down her cheeks freely. Her grip on the frame tightened as a sob racked through her chest. _

_Guilt ran through Naruto as he realized he shouldn't have said anything. Sakura seemed to see the sad expression because she smiled at him. _

"_No don't worry; I'm glad you told me. It was hard for me to remember the day this picture was taken. _

_Now that you've said something I can remember exactly what happened." She smiled again to try to smooth the situation out. _

_Naruto looked at his knees for a moment without speaking. Then opening his mouth he spoke, _

"_Sakura…be honest with yourself, you want to cry and scream…you want to beat everything up in this world. You want to fall to the ground and just give up; you want to run the way that Sasuke went screaming his name, hoping he'll hear you." _

_Her hands began to tremble as Naruto's words hit her right on the mark. When Naruto didn't hear anything he turned to look at her again. Her green eyes were hidden by her pink bangs that she had let get longer since Sasuke left. _

"_It's okay to feel that way. Just…don't ever give up; Sasuke needs us to get stronger in order to get him back. He isn't going to just come back with us talking…I should know." _

_Sakura pushed her bangs to the side. "You went through so much to try to bring him back. He could have killed you." _

_Naruto shrugged his shoulders. _

"_Yeah he could of but he didn't. That right there proves to me that some of what I said sunk in. I can't give up on him when I know there is still a part of him that wants to come back." _

_Sakura smiled as she saw the gleam of determination in Naruto's eyes. _

"_You love him right?" _

_The question came out of nowhere catching her off guard. Her eyes fell back down to the photo, her finger traced over the face that would forever be in her dreams. _

"…_yes…and I told him so." _

_Naruto's mouth fell open. "You told the teme that you loved him? When? How?" _

_Sakura continued to trace the picture. _

"_After we had Ramen…I had this feeling that something wasn't right. I turned around and ran towards the exit from the village. I waited…I couldn't shake this feeling that came over me. Then I saw him…he was coming towards me and he had his pack with him. Right away I knew he was going to leave. He told me that it was late and I should get some sleep. And then…that's when I started to let it all out. I asked him why he acted like he hated me…when he stopped he turned around and called me annoying…but…even though that hurt it made me want to reach out to him—to hold him to me. He started to walk again and that's when I let it all out. I screamed to him telling him that I loved him more than anything…and that I would help him get his revenge as long as he wouldn't leave me. I told him I was willing to go with him—and I would have Naruto, he only had to say yes." _

_Naruto was dumbfounded by all this new information. He had wanted to ask Sakura about his earlier but he felt it wasn't his place and now that he had asked it part of him wished he hadn't. _

"_He was a bastard to leave you. I'm sure he's…wherever he is wishing he had taken you up on your offer. Even though I would have hated it if you left I can see why you'd do it. And all I want for you is happiness. Between me and you I think he had something going for you too." Naruto grinned widely at her. _

_Sakura's eyes opened up in shock. _

"_You do?" _

"_Heck yes I do, believe it!" _

_A true smile sprang onto her face. She set the picture down on the bed and threw her arms around her best friend. _

"_Thank you Naruto!" _

_Naruto pulled her closer to him and held her close. _

"_Hey, whenever you need to cry about Sasuke you come to me…I'll be the shoulder you can cry on, you don't have to do it yourself." _

Sakura hugged herself as tears began to fall down her face. She noticed Kakashi walk up to her from his shadow that was cast on the floor in front of her.

"I should have seen it back then…when he came to me that day I missed training. I talked about loving Sasuke and I didn't even notice the pain he must have went through. Why was I so blind?"

Kakashi sighed as he scratched his head.

"Sakura, you have to realize Naruto wouldn't want it any other way. He loves you yes but he wants you to be happy over everything else. He knows with having Sasuke gone has done to you. After that time he was always watching you, always worried that you would leave. When he went with Jiraiya he told me about his concerns. He never stopped thinking of you while he was gone. Believe me, when he finds out about you and Sasuke he'll be happy."

Sakura placed one of her hands on her stomach where she knew the baby was growing. She rubbed it softly while she thought about Naruto.

"I hope Sasuke gets back to me soon, or at least goes and finds him. I can't have this baby knowing that I lost my best friend and knowing I can't have my baby's father here with me."

Kakashi frowned.

"Oh so the rest of us are chopped liver?"

Sakura gasped as her eyes flung up to look at him.

"Of course not! I was just meaning…"

Kakashi smiled, his eye going into a happy line.

"Don't worry I was just lightening the mood. I understand how you feel. Now how bout we get a bed set up for you so you can rest and I'll figure out what to make for dinner?"

Sakura grinned at Kakashi as she watched him head into the small section that was his bedroom. Watching him rearrange his pillows for her made her smile even wider. Walking over to the window she looked out.

'_Sasuke please find Naruto…he can help me raise your child. I need him Sasuke just as much as I need you. I hope when you find out about me and the baby you won't be upset. I also hope it will give you a reason to come home. To come home to me…and the family you have.' _

_

* * *

_**And another chapter is finished! I hope everyone liked it! I had fun writing it even though not much happened in this chapter. Don't worry this was setting it up for the next chapter. Much more is going to happen now that I got this chapter out of the way. And yes Sasuke is the father of her baby!! Everyone can shout out in joy. I did debate on having it be Orochimaru's but in the end I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Please review for me! and a big thanks goes out to my beta reader Silver who got this chapter back to me in one day. You're awesome! **


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Red pierced through the darkness. A laugh echoed throughout the dark room, filling the room with a coldness that struck right to the core.

"Sasuke did you really think you could help her leave and get away with it? I knew you helped her escape the moment we returned. Is it possible that she was able to penetrate the cold ice you held so tightly to your heart?" there was another cold laugh, "Did you really become so weak as to succumb to petty emotions such as love?"

Sasuke's jaw set in a firm line, his Sharingan never leaving the beast in front of him.

"I believe it's about time I take what is rightfully mine," Orochimaru breathed. Sasuke's eyes darkened in intensity.

"Rightfully yours? Don't make me laugh, this body is mine, I was born with it. That," he gestured towards the man before him, "isn't even your true body. Whatever did you do to make your own body break down? I'm tired of the way you do things, I'm stronger than you and therefore I have no reason to hand myself to you. You couldn't handle Itachi so you came after me, isn't that right, bright eyes?" Sasuke mocked.

Orochimaru's eyes turned deadly in an instant.

"How dare you. I will have your body if it's the last thing I do."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "I'd like to see you try."

The Sharingan took in all the sudden movements that Orochimaru made. He looked around himself and realized he was no longer in the room.

"This is where I perform the ritual. You're body will be mine and there will be nothing you can do about it."

Sasuke closed his eyes and opened them slowly, the red became even darker.

Orochimaru couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips as he realized how close he was to having the body he had been wishing for. Suddenly the smile vanished from his lips. Sasuke smirked as recollection began to set on Orochimaru's features.

"This—but it can't be! How could you deflect my ritual so easily?"

Sasuke walked slowly towards him, his footsteps echoing through the small area.

"You can't escape my genjutsu. I'm stronger than you, there's nothing you can do to me now that I have you under my spell."

Orochimaru began to chuckle. "She did break through the wall you built, didn't she?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks as his eyes never left his Sensei's face. Orochimaru smiled evilly as Sasuke stood before him.

"No response? I stated correctly didn't I? Tell me…is she pregnant with your child…or mine?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly which caused Orochimaru to throw his head back in laughter.

"Oh don't tell me you don't know! Whatever will you do if the child ends up being mine dear Sasuke? Will you be able to take that child and treat it as your own, even though it looks like me?"

Sasuke bit his lip as the anger slowly began to rise in him.

"Whatever will Sakura do when she's so stricken with sickness that she can't even bear to stand? What will you do when you realize the only one that could possibly save her is me?"

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke hissed.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue.

"No I don't think I'm entitled to tell you anything. You are the one that has betrayed me so you should not be surprised that I added some insurance in that girl of yours. When she followed you into the woods that night I knew I had a golden thing I could use against you. And then after a few months she showed you that necklace she wears around her neck, the one I knew would sell you to her. You fell right into the trap I laid out for you."

Hatred burned through Sasuke's eyes. Pulling his sword from its holder he smirked.

"Then I'll just have to find a way to heal her myself. There's no reason for me to keep you alive."

Slowly he began to advance towards the man he had been trained by. His eyes widened when he suddenly felt a cold chill wash over him. Then he heard it…her. After the message was over he could feel the color leave his face. Orochimaru chuckled as he placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"I have a feeling you have found something out. Why don't you share with me what she told you?"

Sasuke couldn't believe it…he was actually going to be a father, him not Orochimaru. Relief poured through him. Then concern replaced it.

'_Sakura…I can't leave her there. I need to get her out of the village. Could she really be serious about me finding Naruto? I haven't seen him…I don't know what I will do once I do see him again. I almost killed him last time. Sakura I hope you know what you're doing with asking this of me.' _

"It appears that it must be something rather important by the faraway look you have on your face. No matter, I'm sure it's just news saying that the child is yours, which is perfect. The Sharingan will be mine, if not from you then from your unborn child."

"You are one with the darkness now Sasuke, do you really think Sakura is going to want you when she realizes it? Really sees the true monster you have become? I think I did rather well with breading you, you turned out even better than I thought you could."

Sasuke's grip on his sword slackened and it clanged to the ground, sending echoes throughout the room.

"Yes you believe me don't you? If she knew the real you she would never want you near her child. The child you were so kind to bestow upon her. In a few years when the child hits the age of 3 I will come and I will take it from her," he grinned evilly, "And you will have to watch as I turn your child into a perfect image of you."

Darkness overtook Sasuke's features. The Sharingan turned a deeper red then it was before.

"You talk about the darkness that has come over me. Well I think it's time I really showed you what I'm capable of."

"Good, now you're serious." Orochimaru breathed.

The thin light that was always in Sasuke's sight slowly began to fade. _'There's no reason to keep it there…no reason to still hold out hope for me. Sakura—you'll have to raise the child on your own. I won't be there. I'll become the world's most hated and feared Ninja to ever exist. Keep the child safe…from everything evil in the world, even from me.' _

"Dear me Sasuke, is that tears I see in your eyes? You wouldn't be crying over the fact that you're about to kill me?"

The evilest sneer for Sasuke to do came on his face.

"No not at all. There's no reason for me to cry over you. I never so much as thought of you other than a tool that I needed. Easily disposed of when I was finished, nothing more."

"It appears you really have fully embraced your destiny, this fight will be interesting."

Sasuke bent down and retrieved his sword. As he was rising he spoke, "It won't be much of a fight."

Orochimaru crossed his arms across his chest. What could his young learner have up his sleeve that he didn't know about?

His black hair fell over his face, concealing his eyes from view. Swinging his sword around in his hand he smirked. _'Time to close my eyes to the light—time to achieve what I set out to do.' _

The image of Sakura flashed before him. He faltered slightly from the path he was about to embark on. Seeing her dazzling green eyes filled with so much love towards him almost made him want to go back, to step towards the light instead of walking away from it. Forcefully he pulled himself away from the girl in front of him.

Chidori flashed throughout the room when Sasuke's eyes met Orochimaru's. Orochimaru's smile began to waver. The darkness began to rise inside of Sasuke. This was the end…the end of everything that he used to know.

* * *

Sakura bolted upright. Cold sweat covered her skin. Gasping Sakura looked around the room trying to figure out where she was. To her right she saw Kakashi's form on the floor. He was sitting up now as well, gazing at her with a bit of tiredness.

"Sakura what is it?"

Sakura covered her face with her hands. Her body began to shake as she recalled the vivid dream she had.

"Sasuke…Sasuke!" she mumbled his name over and over again. Kakashi was next to her in a second. Grabbing her by the shoulders he forced her to look at him.

"Sakura what happened with Sasuke?"

Her eyes where widened in fear. Dread filled Kakashi as she began to mumble again.

"Kakashi- Sensei…he's not going to come back. He won't come back!" Big tears rolled down her cheeks as she succumbed to the pain.

Kakashi held her firmly against his chest as he gazed out the small window that was by the bed. What was Sasuke doing?

* * *

Orochimaru coughed up blood as he looked up to see Sasuke looming over him.

"Looks like you really have given in. I thought I'd never see this day but I'm surprised that it took you so long. You've wanted to get revenge on Itachi for years and yet this whole time you were hesitating, I always wondered why. Now I no longer have to wonder. You were holding onto the vain hope that the village and your teammates would welcome you back with open arms."

Sasuke looked down at his Sensei with disgust.

"You have nothing left to offer me. This is the end for you and I will get revenge for my clan."

"Ah yes and you'll restore your long lost clan. Oh that's right…you already have."

Sasuke let his Sharingan go back into sleep. Orochimaru looked amused as Sasuke turned so his back was to him.

"So I guess you really don't have the heart to go through with it."

Sasuke was silent for a moment. "You're wrong; I sent a poison into your blood you only have a few minutes to live."

He began to walk away as Orochimaru continued to cough, blood pouring to the ground.

"Where will you go now?"

Sasuke smirked into the darkness.

"To find Naruto," then without another word he teleported away from the base.

* * *

**A/N**: Okay I just wanted to tell you guys I'm so sorry if there's a ton of grammatical errors. Silver never got back to me and it was probably miscommunication on my part but I just thought you guys were due for a new chapter. Thanks so much for reading! I would extremely like it if you all reviewed. Reviews help me get better as a writer. Plus I love to know what you guys think. Thanks for everyone that has sticked around since the very beginning of the story. I've noticed that I've lost a few readers but most of you have stayed faithful (hahaha not saying those who left aren't...I can understand why people stop reading stories) And I apologize for how short the chapter was, I just needed to get this chapter out of the way. The next one I already have like four pages for and it's still going. There's a lot that is happening in the next chapter.

Well until next chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Tear stains lined her face as she lay curled up in a tight ball. Her heart felt like it was crumbling all over the floor. Sound of water falling from the faucet came from the kitchen. Kakashi was humming softly to himself as he washed the left over dishes from the light breakfast they had had. Looking out of the corner of his eye he saw Sakura's shape on his bed.

"Sakura are you going to stay there all day?"

When no answer came he strode over to her. Touching her forehead to check for a fever he chuckled.

"I thought you would be up to searching for Sasuke yourself. You after all know him better than anyone else."

Sakura shifted slightly so she was looking up at her Sensei.

"He left me…I'm alone…" he hand fell down to her stomach where she creased it.

Kakashi followed her hand with his eyes.

"C'mon Sakura you know you're not alone. Look I'm going to head out to search for Naruto soon…I think I can leave you in the hands of the other Jonin."

Sakura jumped into a sitting position, she gripped onto Kakashi desperately.

"Don't leave me! Don't go!" she yelled frantically. Kakashi looked at her with surprise. Sakura had always been one that was strong, that wanted to be left alone so she could prove how far she really came. For her to cling to him so desperately was unnerving.

Hiding her face in his chest she continued to mumble.

"I just can't be left alone right now. Sasuke is on a rampage and I don't want to be left here alone when I know I might do something really stupid. I have to keep this baby safe no matter what but I can't help but want to leave the village behind and go to him. His mind used to be so clear…now its hazy, he's covering me…"

Kakashi didn't move as her words sunk in.

"Wait…you could see inside his head?"

Sakura nodded her head against his chest, her tears sinking through the material. Stiffing she pushed herself away from Kakashi.

"Yeah it just started a few days ago. I didn't understand it before but now…" she trailed off as she touched the back of her neck, "I need to go to him…even though everything in my head is screaming at me telling me it isn't smart, isn't safe."

When Kakashi didn't answer she continued.

"He turned away from everything good that was in his heart, in his life. He turned away from me. I was watching it like you watch a movie. And even though I frantically screamed out to him he still turned away. Still decided to leave, something had to have happened to him to make him that way. I need to go to him."

Kakashi put his finger to her lips to silence her.

"Shh, you know you can't do any such thing. You're carrying his child and it wouldn't be smart to run off on a mission right now. Who knows how long it would take you to track him down anyway. You don't want to be out there about to give birth, do you?"

When she didn't move Kakashi walked over to his desk that held his Ninja gear.

"Don't worry about anything Sakura. I'll be setting out to find Naruto but I won't stop until I find Sasuke as well. Naruto will just have to come along, which I don't see him minding."

Sakura bit her lip as she watched her Sensei attach all his gear to his body.

"I feel useless…I should be going with you, what if Naruto needs medical attention? I'm the best Medic Ninja there is besides Tsunade-sama herself."

Kakashi finished latching the last knife. "You let me worry about that. You need to stay here and rest. I'm sure Lady Tsunade will put someone of high rank to take care of you. I'm sorry to leave you but this feels more pressing at the moment."

Sakura stood up awkwardly as she followed Kakashi towards the door.

"I should probably go home anyway, thanks for letting me stay the night Kakashi- Sensei. I'll be all right now. Be safe while you find them, I don't want to get word that you died along the way."

Kakashi turned and grinned at his ex student.

"I won't die that easily Sakura. Take care of yourself and that baby." He motioned to her stomach then he casually pulled the door shut behind him. Sakura was left standing in her Sensei's apartment. Walking over to the small window she fell down on her knees.

"Why Sasuke? Why did you leave? You really aren't coming back this time…are you?"

Looking out from between her fingers she seemed to see something else. What she was seeing wasn't coming from her eyes…it was coming from Sasuke's.

* * *

Naruto flinched as the whip made contact with his back. How he had gotten knocked out from his fight with Itachi he would never know.

'_Good going nine tails, I thought you were supposed to be unstoppable.' _He thought darkly.

'_The Uchiha's have cursed blood that flows through their veins. I cannot go against one of them without those terrible eyes getting in the way. His eyes they were…' _

Naruto gritted his teeth as the whip made another cut across his flesh.

"I'm surprised you aren't screaming in pain by now." A voice spoke from behind him. Naruto moved his head slightly to try to see who it was talking. He heard the person pick up something from the floor and the next thing he knew was the searing pain that shot through him.

A scream left his lips as the salt water sank into the wounds on his back.

"Ah, there it is. Maybe now you'll tell me what I want to know."

"I'll…never…tell you…anything…scum." Naruto replied through the pain.

Stepping into the light the girl sneered.

"Well I guess we'll have to keep at this for a while, won't we?"

Naruto's eyes were slits.

"You might as well; I'll never tell you a thing!"

"You won't betray a friend that left you? What's wrong with you? Sasuke Uchiha doesn't care about you or anyone in his past life! Why in hells name are you defending him?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. _'I'm so lost. I thought I was with Itachi…now I'm with someone who wants to find Sasuke? I really must have hit my head hard.' _

"Sasuke's my friend…and no matter what you do to me…I'll never rat him out."

Fire erupted in the girls eyes.

"You will tell me, even if I have to use your pink haired friend to do it."

'_Sakura…I haven't even thought of her for a while. I hope she's okay…I'm going to make sure this girl doesn't place her hands on her!' _

"In fact I know her exact location as we speak. It wouldn't take long for me to have her here. She's been worried about you…"

"Leave her alone!"

"So it appears you have feelings for her after all. Too bad she doesn't return them for you. I must say you really are good looking…"

Naruto began to pull against the restraints that held him bond.

"All you have to do is tell me about Sasuke, his strengths, weaknesses, you know, the basics."

Naruto struggled against the chains. "And why would you want to know such a thing? What has he done to you?"

"What has he done to me? He broke apart my family! Took them away to be used by Orochimaru! He deserves to die for what he did to me."

Naruto smirked.

"Sounds like you and him have a lot in common. You both want revenge for your family. That's the only reason why he went with Orochimaru, to gain power in order to kill his brother. What's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Naruto groaned as he pulled against the chains.

"Because…it's nice to have a name to put with the…voice."

"Kira."

"Well Kira you know my name already. How 'bout you let me down and then maybe we can talk."

Kira scoffed, "Yeah right! I'm not about to let the nine-tailed down. Besides my boss told me not to, said you were too dangerous to have loose."

"So you work for Itachi. How fitting that your working for Sasuke's older brother. You could just ask him where Sasuke is. He can track Sasuke easier than you can say Ninja."

Kira's face fell. "He won't tell me. He says his brother has a destiny to fulfill."

The chains began to scream against his skin. _'Almost there…' _

A kunai was thrust into his side, causing him to scream.

"I don't think so. I'm not about to let you escape, fox."

"I'm…not…the fox. I'm Naruto…there's a difference."

Kira shook her head. "Oh no that's where you're wrong. You are the fox, that's all you ever will be. You depend on its power, don't you?"

She spun Naruto around so he could see her.

"I'm going to call for your little girlfriend now. Once she's here and screaming I'm sure you'll talk."

Fear seared through Naruto. He began to fight more against the restraints.

Kira made hand signs as she began to call her Jutsu.

"I wouldn't finish that if I were you." A cold voice spoke from the darkness.

Kira fell back a few steps.

"Who's there?"

Naruto's eyes widened. Could it be? Was it possible?

Feet scraping across the hard floor was heard as the figure emerged. Naruto gulped when he saw the familiar hair style.

"Sasuke…"

When Sasuke opened his eyes they were a deep red, cold red.

Kira got in a fighting stance.

"So all I had to do was torture him and you'd come? I should have thought of it sooner."

A dark smirk lined Sasuke's face.

"You aren't going to say anything are you? You are so much like him it's scary."

Sasuke's eyes roamed the room until they landed on Naruto.

"Sasuke…she's going to hurt Sakura." Naruto whispered, blood pooling on the floor.

"We can't have that…can we?" Sasuke asked as he took a few steps closer to Kira, "might as well finish her before she has the chance."

Naruto shook his head, "don't be like that Sasuke. Just leave her alone, there's no reason to kill her."

Sasuke was gone in a blink of an eye to only turn up behind her. With one move he had her in his grasp.

"I'm not going to take any chances. She dies here and now."

"Sasuke what's happened to you? And how is Sakura? She was with you last…and if you're here shouldn't she be too?"

Sasuke's hand tightened around the girl's neck, causing her to gasp. Naruto began to pull again at the chains.

"Don't do this; I know you aren't a killer Sasuke. Leave her alone, just let her go and we can go get Sakura."

"I'm not going near Sakura." Sasuke hissed darkly.

Naruto froze his blue eyes locket with Sasuke.

"Stop it Sasuke. You don't want to be like this…you've completely changed. Sakura was with you for months…did you treat her like this the whole time?"

When no response came Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Do you have any feelings for her at all? Or did you treat her like the cold bastard you are?"

Sasuke tossed his prisoner to the side. Stalking up to Naruto he pulled his blond hair.

"You better watch your mouth fox." He spat darkly, voice laced with venom.

Even through the pain Naruto was able to look him in the eye.

"Make me."

An evil smirk graced Sasuke's lips.

"If you insist."

"No!"

Blue eyes looked away from onyx when he heard _her _voice.

"S-Sakura?"

"It appears the girl you are madly in love with has arrived." Sasuke stated, tilting his head slightly to the left.

Kira slowly rose from the ground. Gulping in fresh air she spoke, "It appears the summoned worked. Now I'll be able to take my revenge."

Sakura looked around the room slowly, then her eyes fell on the two boys in front of her. Her heart plummeted with the scene.

"Sasuke…what are you doing? Let go of Naruto."

"…No…"

"No?"

Naruto began to wither under his strong grasp.

"Sakura get out of here!"

Taking a step forward she shook her head, her hand held to her chest.

"Sasuke don't do this, I felt it when you pulled away…I need you Sasuke, now more than ever before. I can't go through this alone."

Finally Sasuke turned his eyes to her. The coldness of them made her shiver.

"Need me? Come now Sakura you know that isn't true. You have people in the village that are more than willing to lend a helping hand, not to mention your parents." He hissed out the last part.

Naruto looked back and forth between the two of them. A big question mark filled his expression as he watched the exchange taking place before him.

"Even though I have all of them I'll still be alone. I _need you_ without you there isn't any point to this. I don't want to have to go through this without you. Please come back with me Sasuke…I don't want this to end…"

Sasuke hissed as he was forced to drop Naruto.

"What in the…"

His eyes focused on the now red fox eyes. Naruto disappeared from view to suddenly end up behind Kira, who held a sword above her head about to strike at Sakura. His hand met with the back of her neck to successfully knock her out. Once that was finished he looked at Sasuke and pointed his finger at him.

"What in the world is going on with you and Sakura?"

"Tch, you can be so annoying."

"Shut up and tell me!"

Sakura looked worriedly at Sasuke.

"Sasuke…" she tried to warn him but he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"You really want to know? Even though you'll probably lose control when you find out?"

"Spit it out." Naruto stated through clenched teeth.

"She's pregnant, with my child."

Sakura bit her lip as she watched Naruto slightly began to shake but when he suddenly let his head slump forward she frowned. Naruto chuckled lowly, sadly.

"It's what would have happened anyway. Aren't you happy she's having your child? And shouldn't you want to go home with her now?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Things have changed. I no longer need her, she did her purpose."

Naruto's head shot up.

"You just used her?! Don't you have any feelings for her? Can't you see the love she has for you written all over her face? She's been thinking of you ever since you left!! I can't believe how—"

"Naruto! Please… you don't understand everything that's happened." Sakura cut him off quickly, "Sasuke has been nothing but kind to me while I was with Orochimaru and him. Well as kind as Sasuke can really be. The fact of it all is that he loved me…even though I never thought he could. Something happened though—just before he was going to come to me. And now he won't open up…he's closed himself off…"

"…" Sasuke didn't say anything to Sakura's words.

Naruto walked slowly over to Sakura's side.

"Well if he won't be there for you I will. I'll help you raise your child Sakura; you won't go through it alone. At least this way Sasuke won't be able to get to it and make it worse off."

Placing her hands on her hips she shook her head. "Sasuke will always be this baby's father. This baby is going to be an Uchiha no matter what."

Naruto put his hand on her shoulder and gazed at Sasuke.

"Hear that? Even though you're going to abandon her she is still going to name this child after you. Even though she could have it named after herself. Do you still fill nothing? Sasuke what happened to you?"

"My eyes were opened." He finally spoke, his voice cold.

"Opened? Their closed now! Don't you want to see your baby's eyes? Its tiny hands and feet? When it first walks…all the things that happen when a baby grows?" Naruto questioned.

"I don't have time for this nonsense. Now that Sakura is here I suppose I can allow you to leave. I need to find Itachi." He turned his back to the two of them. He was surprised when he suddenly felt arms around him from behind. Sakura's face was pressed into the middle of his back, between his shoulder blades.

"Don't go." He could scarcely pick out what she was saying. A small twinge began to press at him. The urge to stay in her hold was slowly becoming overpowering. Closing his eyes he pushed the feeling away. There was nothing in this world except to finish his revenge. Once that was finished maybe he would seek her out, but until then he would keep her away. He couldn't afford this distraction any longer.

"Sakura…" Naruto watched as she clung desperately to the boy she loved more than anything. _'If only I could get you to return my feelings…I'd never leave you like this…never make you feel hurt.' _

He watched as they both stood like that. With Sasuke's small amount of hesitation he knew there was still hope for him. Naruto smiled sadly as he watched the slight change in Sasuke eyes. No one else would have been able to see it but he could. He knew Sasuke, more than anyone else did. Sakura knew him but she never could fully understand him, Naruto could.

Sasuke's cold hands made contact with Sakura's that held him at the waist. His fingers began to pull apart her grasp. Her hold became tighter as he tried to get her to release him.

"No…I can't…not again."

Naruto knew instantly what she was inferring too. He walked up to her and placed his hand on her back.

"Sakura…let him go. He has to go…"

Sakura turned so she was looking at him; her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Don't ask me to let him go. All he's going to do is kill Itachi, what good will come from it? With me he has a family…something that he's been wanting desperately, why does he want to throw that all away?"

Naruto was silent for a moment as he thought of what he could say. Finally he decided to tell her what Tobi had told him.

"Sakura…Itachi was ordered to kill his clan by the Elders."

"Wha? That's not possible." Sakura stuttered, clearly shocked.

She noticed how Sasuke stiffened under her hold.

"Sasuke…is it true?"

"….yeah…"

Slowly she let her arms fall limp at her sides, her face was covered in darkness as a tear landed on the floor.

"What if you aren't strong enough? What if I lose you? I don't think I'll make it again if you leave me."

Sasuke turned to look at her.

"Sakura you remember what I told you. You need to keep that baby safe from me. Now I'm letting you go so take the chance while you can. You never know if I'll change my mind."

Sakura cringed at the darkness of his voice. He really meant all he was saying. If she and Naruto didn't leave now he would probably kill them. Swallowing she acknowledged what he was saying.

"Okay Sasuke, we'll leave," she turned towards Naruto before stopping in her tracks. Without turning back to look at him she spoke, "Just…be careful. Itachi is dangerous as you well know. But…there's something else that's strange about all this. I can't help but wonder if everything that's happened is a part of his grand scheme. Be cautious...c'mon Naruto let's go."

Naruto watched as Sasuke suddenly vanished from sight. Taking one of Sakura's hands he gave it a light squeeze.

"Don't worry Sakura, we'll get through this."

She didn't even look at him as they made their way out of the corridor. Naruto watched as the light slowly left her eyes.

'_She's not going to be the same…not until he comes back. Sasuke I hope you know what you're doing…I hope you realize just how much she loves you…before she breaks and is never able to heal again.' _

* * *

The cold dark hallway greeted the two as they walked in the house. Kisame placed his sword at his back.

"Why are we here again Itachi? Shouldn't we be going back to Naruto and taking him to the boss?"

Itachi opened the door to their left and entered the room with Kisame close at his heels.

"You know the reason why we aren't doing that. My plan is falling into perfect place. All the pieces are doing exactly what I thought they would do. Now all we have to do is wait for my precious brother to arrive."

Kisame scratched his head.

"Are you really going to let him kill you? I mean after everything…I just don't see why you'd want that."

Itachi sat down at a chair that was at the far left of the room. Coughing he reached into his cloak to get a small towel he carried with him. As he coughed into it blood appeared. Glancing at it he sighed in pain.

"There isn't much time for me anyway. I'd rather have Sasuke defeat me and be able to give him powers to fight my worst enemy then to simply die from this disease."

"But you could be healed so easily from that woman we meet in the last town. Why don't you let her heal you? You can live and keep protecting your little brother. Once you're gone who's going to protect him from the boss?"

Itachi's hand began to shake without his consent. Stretching his left hand he pressed it to his body to stop the shaking.

"Sasuke is strong...he'll be able to…" Coughing overcame him and Kisame raced to his side.

"I'm not going to stand and do nothing."

Itachi closed his eyes in pain as the coughing continued to rack through his chest. Kisame stood up to his full height and looked down at his partner.

"You no longer can stand this. Sasuke isn't anywhere near and I'm not going to let you die like this." Turning so his back was to Itachi he stomped out of the room. Itachi had raised his hand to stop him but let it drop limply at his side.

"It appears Sasuke has done something…looks like there won't only be two Uchiha's, now there will be three."

An evil smirk came over his face as the darkness settled in the room.

"Perfect."

* * *

**A/N: **So sorry about how long it has taken me to get this out. I finished it like a week ago and when I went to put it on here the format was completely wrong from what i had it as on Word. So I didn't feel like messing with it but today I haven't been feeling well so I decided why not try to fix the formatting? I hope you guys like the chapter...I tried to make it longer than the last one but I don't know if I manged it. Please leave a review!! Again sorry for the grammatical mistakes, just decided to post the chapter. Hope it's to your liking.

Sorry I had to update this again. Thanks to pharix for letting me in on the little mess up I did. They noticed that I said this in an earlier chapter: "he can help me raise your child. I need him Sasuke just as much as I need you." and then I messed up and said something completely differen't in this chapter. So sorry for the confusion!! I meant what I first put. I don't have time to go through this chapter and change it but I really wanted to thank Pharix for letting me know what's up. I may do this from time to time because it's been so long since I last read my own story. I'll have to make sure I do something different from now on. I'd go change it but I'm studying for a final right now...so I'm super sorry!! Thank you so much pharix!

And for everyone else, please don't be shy to tell me of those discrepancy's, they're bound to happen. But if you just didn't notice or care that's fine by me. :D But if you do see little things please let me know :D


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Hold still! Jeez you think you'd be in pain with the amount of injuries you have." Sakura scolded.

Blue eyes searched frantically around him. This was the first time he had been outside since he could last remember.

"Sakura look at how beautiful it is."

"Uh huh that's nice Naruto, now will you please let me do my job? We can't get back to the village with you in this condition."

Naruto continued to turn his head in every direction.

"But Sakura you haven't really taken the time to study and appreciate everything, have you?"

Her vein on her temple began to pound. _'Why can't he get it through his head already? All I want to do is get him better so I can get home faster. Doesn't he want to get home at all?' _

His eyes suddenly caught hers by surprise.

"It's been a long time since I've looked into your eyes Sakura…I've missed you…" he mumbled softly, his blue eyes never leaving her green ones.

A small pounding began to form in her chest from the intense gaze he was giving her. A small blush came over her cheeks before she could understand what was happening.

"You crack me up Naruto. I've missed you too; heaven knows I didn't want to have this baby without you around."

Unexpectedly Naruto reached out and placed his hand on her stomach.

"Yeah…a baby…I'll be there for you Sakura, really. With the look Sasuke gave me…and the way he acted…I don't think he'll ever come back."

Her head lowered and her pink bangs covered her eyes from view. The green chakra never ceased swirling as Naruto watched her.

"Sakura…"

Lifting her head she had a smile on her face.

"Don't worry about Sasuke, he'll come around—he just has some things to do before he gets here, that's all."

If anything Naruto was able to read through her smile. The way she forced it was obvious for someone that had been by her side since their Genin days.

"Yeah…"

"Well it looks like the fox is doing most of the work, that's good it means that he's still alive." Sakura commented.

"I wish he'd just die, I don't want him around anymore." Naruto muttered darkly as his hands went to the spot where the seal was hidden.

"Hey now I don't like that tone. You've been handling it splendy. Okay, now we're finished. That girl did all this to you…and I can't believe we just left her there."

Naruto laughed mockingly.

"You kidding me, I usually don't like to wish anything ill on anyone but…man she needs to travel to hell for a while."

Sakura grinned as she playfully punched Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto rubbed his shoulder and then grinned back.

"So how has Kakashi- Sensei been doing? Has he been moping around his house missing me?"

"He's been worried yes, but other than that he's been performing his duties like he should. He actually has been there for me…I'm glad he was around when I went back to the village." Sakura answered as she dusted the dirt off her knees.

Naruto gazed at her as she began to pull her hair away from her face. "Sorry I wasn't there for you when you found out. I wish more than anything that things had gone differently when I came looking for you when Sasuke had you. I just…lost it; I've been doing that a lot lately. I don't know what's wrong with me but for some reason I've been losing my control. Sakura…the nine tailed fox is getting stronger, or perhaps I'm getting weaker."

Her green eyes found their way to the sky.

"Naruto you can do anything you set your mind too. I know you'll be able to control the fox, you have so far and you'll continue to do so. I may not know what happened while you were gone but I do know you, and I know you aren't a quitter. Just keep believing in yourself and you'll make it through this. Don't worry so much about it; I like to see you smiling not frowning."

Getting up off the ground Naruto walked over to her side. "Okay let's get going, I can't wait to see the village and everyone."

Sakura smiled at him and nodded once, her smile never wavering.

"Let's get going."

* * *

Sweat covered their faces as the village gates loomed in sight just before them.

"Man, I never thought we'd get here." Naruto whined. Sakura rolled her eyes as she landed firmly on the ground in front of the gates.

"And I never thought you could be more annoying."

Naruto huffed, "Just because I was worried about you pushing yourself too far. It's not like you aren't invincible. You need to think about the bab—" he was cut off by her hand clamping over his mouth.

"Say another word and your dead meat." The air around them stiffened and he gulped. _'She gets scary fast…maybe this is a sign…she's going to be awful with her temper from now on.' _

Walking through the gates she dragged him with her. She waved at the two guards stationed at the entrance. They had to do a double take in order to check if their eye sight was correct.

"Well it looks like Naruto is back…and Sakura is teaching him who's boss." One of them commented, a sweat drop appearing when Sakura banged Naruto's head against a low wall.

"…Yeah, crazy how much those two get along, do you think they'll get together?" the second guard asked.

"Who knows…guess it's possible." The first replied.

Sakura grumbled as she made her way through the village with Naruto on her heels.

"Sakura I'm sorry! I don't know what I did but it must have been something to really piss you off and I'm sorry!"

His rambling and apologies were starting to irritate the hell out of her. _'Okay count to ten and everything will be okay…1…2…3…4…5…' _

"C'mon Sakura say something! I know you're really pushy since…"

'_6…7…'_

"How bout I take you for ramen? Will that make you feel better? And then we can talk all about…stuff?"

'_8...9…'_

"I'll even buy so that way you don't have to worry about…ack! What are you doing?!?"

Her eyes flashed with rage as she grabbed onto his jacket and pulled him closer to her.

"I'm not going on a date with you!"

Naruto gulped and scratched the back of his head. How was he going to get out of this one?

"Hee,hee well you see…that wasn't really what I meant."

She made her hand into a fist and it was quickly swinging towards his face when suddenly smoke appeared and her hand smacked into someone else's.

"Now, now, Sakura there's no reason to hit him."

Naruto's eyes widened as Sakura's grip on his jacket loosened.

"K-Kakashi Sensei you have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Kakashi looked down at Naruto and placed his hand on his shoulder. "It's good to see you in one piece Naruto." Turning back to Sakura his eyebrow rose.

"Kakashi Sensei I thought you were heading out to find Naruto." Sakura stated before he could ask her any questions. Kakashi grinned behind his mask.

"Yes you see that was what I was doing when I got an urgent message from Lady fifth telling me to come back immediately; she said something about you being kidnapped. So of course I came back full speed. It appears that you're safe and sound though."

Sakura bit her lip and glanced away. "Well except for the look you have on your face." Kakashi noted softly.

Naruto looked between the two of them and gasped. "No way! Kakashi Sensei you don't have feeling for her do you?!?"

A sweat drop appeared on Kakashi's head and Naruto's cheek was met with Sakura's fist, sending him flying into the ground.

"What are you a pervert? Of course there isn't anything going on between us!" Sakura shouted, anger flowing out of her.

Naruto stayed on the ground his eyes spinning. "Sorry…my mistake."

Kakashi cleared his throat which got both his students attention.

"Lady fifth wants to see you—she wants to know what happened."

Sakura stiffened and shook her head. "Kakashi Sensei…I can't…not right now."

Naruto stood up and his face softened at seeing Sakura's expression. "Don't worry Sakura you go home and get some rest. I'll fill Granny Tsunade in on what happened."

"As long as one of you goes I think it'll be enough." Kakashi responded quickly.

Sakura gazed off into the distance. "You sure it's okay Naruto?"

"Yeah you have a lot to think about and deal with in your own way. I'll come by to check on you once I get out of her office. Just leave everything to me." He grinned, giving her the thumbs up sign.

"Thanks Naruto." She mumbled before walking off towards her apartment.

Naruto's face fell as soon as she was out of sight.

"Kakashi Sensei? We need to find Sasuke and stop him…he's not himself anymore. He's even cold to Sakura now. But…I don't want to kill him."

Kakashi watched Naruto's face closely. Finally after a moment of silence he spoke. "all right, we'll talk to Lady Tsunade about it and see what she thinks we should do."

Naruto turned on his heels and made his way into the Hokage tower, looking over his shoulder he called for Kakashi.

"You coming old man?"

"Old man?" Kakashi asked as she walked behind his young student.

Naruto grinned at him. "Yep and I'm going to surpass you, just you wait!"

"This old dog can still learn new tricks." Kakashi stated simply.

Naruto laughed as they continued to make their way to the Hokage's office.

'_Naruto you've grown before my eyes…and I know without a doubt that you will surpass me…' _

_

* * *

_**A/N: Hey y'all Sorry its taken me FOREVER to update. Ever since everything with the recent Naruto chapters have happened I just didn't have the drive to get anything out. So feel happy that this short chapter was able to come out. I felt so terrible about my lack of updating but hopefully I'll be able to find my Sasuke drive again. lol right now he's totally bugging me...sorry! I know that's so bad but...can't help it. For a while there I just wanted him to die...but i no longer wish that for him. I want him to live but only if certain events happen. But anyway, please review! this chapter hasn't been edited by anyone except me so please excuse any errors that may be in here. I'm terribly sorry I would have gotten someone but I thought you guys would like the chapter sooner than even later. :D review and tell me what you thought!**_  
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	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The ice rain cut across his face. His black bangs covered his eyes as he pushed through the extreme weather. Her green eyes wouldn't leave his mind as he made his way across the waves.

"_Sasuke don't do this, I felt it when you pulled away…I need you Sasuke, now more than ever before. I can't go through this alone." _

Her words wouldn't leave his mind no matter how hard he tried. His jaw tightened as he realized that she had become his greatest weakness. An image of Itachi flashed through his mind and he stopped in his tracks. No, there was no reason for him to love or have someone loving him in return. He had a goal and that was all that mattered.

He lifted his head when his feet hit solid ground. His eyes searched the area as he looked for a place he could take shelter. This storm was only going to get worse before it got better and he didn't want to be out in it longer than necessary.

After a few moments he came upon a cave and entered. Sitting down he was able to pull some stranded twigs together and used his fireball Jutsu to keep him warm. The fire crackled and warmed the small area around him.

'_Looks like this is as far as I go for now. Tch, why does she have to be so annoying? Why can't I get her green e_yes _out of my head? What in hell is so special about her? And why does Naruto still care? I've done nothing but hurt him and yet…he still won't give up. That loser.' _

He flinched; there it was again…the aching pain that filled his head every so often. It had been happening a lot more recently, ever since he saw Sakura at that base that Naruto was held. Rubbing at his temples he took a few deep breaths.

"I'm not letting you see inside my head. You won't like what you see." He mumbled to the nothingness that was around him.

The aching didn't subside which made him groan. "Get it through your head woman; I'm not letting you see."

Leaning his head against the cold rock wall he allowed his eyes to drift closed. _'A little shut eye won't hurt anything…I just hope I don't dream about her.' _

_

* * *

_

Itachi stretched his legs out in front of him. His Sharingan was shining brightly as he gazed at the map that was in his hands. Kisame clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Why wouldn't you let me get you that remedy? What is there to die for? Why would you want to die?"

Itachi silently contemplated the map, his eyes never leaving the canvas. Kisame slumped where he was sitting. "Itachi seriously, what is it that you're thinking? You must have some sort of plan if you're studying that map the way you are."

Slowly Itachi raised his eyes to lock with Kisame's. "I know where my brother is, I need to go and have this final fight with him, but first…I want to meet with someone."

"Who could you possibly want to meet with?" Kisame asked flabbergasted.

Itachi lowered the map and put it in front of his partner. Kisame looked at it and then a wicked smile overcame his face. "Konoha? What are we going after there or I should say who."

Itachi intertwined his fingers. "We're going to go see a certain girl…one that my brother saw fit to be the one to carry on the Uchiha's blood."

Kisame opened his mouth in an 'o' shape when understanding fell upon him. "What are we going to talk to her about?"

"I need to see for myself how far along she is and if her child has the potential to truly carry on the Uchiha name. If she passes my inspection great, if not…well I guess my brother will hate me for yet another reason." Itachi remarked with a shrug of his shoulders.

Kisame watched Itachi's face. With a sigh he opened his mouth, "When do we head out?"

"Now." Was the reply he received from Itachi.

* * *

A slight chill washed over her tanned skin, shuddering she pulled her comforter closer to her chin, once again trying to fall back into her restless sleep.

"Sakura! Good morning!"

"Ugh…you have got to be kidding me." Sakura moaned as she hid her face in her pillow.

There was a loud thump and then she felt it, someone standing right above her. "Sakura you need to get up, it's a beautiful morning!" Naruto's voice rang in her ears.

Naruto heard mumbling but he couldn't make out what she was saying. Leaning down closer to the pink haired girl he tried to listen closer.

"Can't hear you when your head is in the pillow like that, you can sit up and talk to me can't you?" to add to his question he reached out and poked her shoulder. Sitting up straight and quickly she glared at him.

"Naruto why are you here this early? Don't you know some of us actually like to sleep in every once in a while?" she asked in annoyance.

Naruto folded his arms across his chest as he grinned.

"C'mon Sakura I knew you wouldn't want to get out of bed this morning so I thought I'd come over and offer some help," his smile faded as he watched her, "besides with everything that's happened with Sasuke I didn't want to leave you alone."

His sweet intentions melted her heart and she was able to forgive him about waking her up. She smiled softly at him as she raised her arms up in the air to stretch out her tired muscles.

"So what are we going to do today then?" she asked as she pushed her covers aside. Naruto placed his hand under his chin as he pondered.

"Well…I guess we could train for a little bit or we could take a walk and just talk. We've been apart for a while so it'd be nice to just catch up on things." He answered.

Sakura pushed him into the hallway and proceeded to shut the door in his face. Naruto scratched his head in confusion.

"Uh..what was that for Sakura?" he asked through the closed door.

"I need to get dressed and I wasn't going to do that with you in the room!" she hollered back. Naruto smiled to himself as he put his hands in his pockets and began to look around the small living room. _'She really does keep her place clean. Mine can never stay this clean for some strange reason. Well I was gone for a long time and living alone means that there is no one else there to take care of the place while I'm away. Note to self: clean house when I get finished with hanging out with Sakura today.' _

After a few bangs and shouts of frustration Sakura came out of her bedroom fully clothed in her non work related cloths. Naruto stared at her, when he noticed her looking at him strangely he shook his head and turned towards the small window.

"It really is a nice day. I'm glad I got you out of bed otherwise you would have stayed there for hours wasting the day away." Naruto grinned excitedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she began to pick up the small living room. "Yeah well sometimes it's good to stay in bed on days like these. When I was with Orochimaru it was days like these that Sasuke and I would go out and train together. I never thought I would say I missed training like that—but I do. Naruto…I just want him to come home. I don't want to be without him when I bring his child into the world. I know it's all just wishful thinking but I really want him to…want me, for real."

Naruto listened quietly as Sakura spoke, after a few seconds he started to help pick up the little mess that she had left behind from the night before.

"Sakura I'm positive that he wants you. So don't worry about it so much, everything will work out."

Sakura paused midstride and flashed him her best smile. "Thanks Naruto. Now since this is finished do you want to go out on a walk and maybe get some ramen?"

"Are you serious? I'd love too!" Naruto yelped in joy.

Sakura grabbed a brown purse from beside the couch and started to fill it with some snacks. Once she was finished with that she turned and headed towards the door.

"All right then let's get going."

Naruto followed after her with a grin on his face.

* * *

A chiming of bells was heard in the far off distance. The straw hat covered the men from the harmful rays of the sun.

"Do you really think your little brother will be okay with us going to visit his woman?" Kisame questioned out loud.

There was silence for a moment and then he received his answer. "We've been over this. It doesn't matter what my little brother wants or thinks. I'm here to see if she is truly worthy to bear an heir to the Uchiha."

"R-Right, and if she isn't then," he made a slicing movement with his hand against his neck. A small smile appeared on Itachi's lips.

"You are correct. Now that we are getting closer to the village it will be much easier to sense her chakra signature. We must also hide ours so we do not draw any unwanted attention. This is only supposed to be a quick errand, try not to make it more than that." Itachi warned as the village gates came into view.

Kisame grumbled in agreement even though he was itching to cut something or someone up. They disappeared into the darkness and made their way into the village with being undetected. "It appears Kakashi isn't in the village at the moment. Good for us, it'd be a pain if he was still here." Itachi noted.

Kisame cast his eyes around the village that was once Itachi's home. "Do you sense her anywhere? I don't really recall what she felt like the last time I ran into her."

Itachi stopped midstride and closed his eyes. Kisame waited patiently by his side as his partner searched the surrounding area with his Uchiha power.

"She's heading towards the training grounds, although she is not alone. The nine tails is with her."

"The nine tails! We can't let him go again Itachi; you know he is our catch. We need to carry out our orders." Kisame spoke up.

Itachi shot a warning glance in his direction. "There is plenty of time to do that later. For now we are here for the girl and only the girl. Do not get sidetracked Kisame."

"Yes." Kisame replied reluctantly.

Itachi walked down the path to the right and Kisame walked behind him. After a few minutes and turns they ended up in one of the many training grounds. Hiding in the shadow the trees they were able to see a pink haired girl and Naruto.

"Stop it!" Sakura shouted in laughter as Naruto splashed some of his water on her face. She covered her arms and giggled as more water fell on her skin. Naruto was holding his sides with how much he was laughing. Falling down beside her he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Are we going to make our move now?" Kisame whispered to Itachi.

Naruto's senses tingled as he suddenly stopped laughing. Sakura looked at him in concern as he held up one finger telling her silently to stay quite.

"It appears we have been noticed." Itachi stated normally as he stepped out of the cover of darkness. Kisame was quick to follow. Naruto stood up and flung around with a Kunai in his outstretched hand.

"Itachi Uchiha…stay away from her!" his blue eyes became slits. Itachi gave him a sideways glance before turning his Sharingan eyes to the girl on the ground. Sakura wrapped her arms around herself.

"You protect the small life that is growing inside of you. I am here in order to determine if you are worthy to bear such a child." Itachi explained to the young girl.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she slowly got to her feet. "Sasuke will be upset when he finds out you're here."

"No doubt, but he isn't anywhere near so there is nothing to worry about."

Naruto stepped in front of Sakura once Itachi made a move to advance towards her.

"I won't let you touch her." He hissed darkly. Itachi faltered slightly at the determined look in the boy's eye. With a sigh he shook his head.

"Do you wish to come back with us as well? What if I told you I mean her no harm? Would that satisfy you?" Itachi asked simply.

Naruto cocked his head to the left, his eyes never leaving Itachi or Kisame.

"You can't be trusted I know that much. Sakura is none of your concern so you should just high tail it out of here before word gets out that you're in the village."

Sakura gazed at Itachi curiously. A feeling inside of her prompted her to walk towards him. She found her feet slowly moving in his direction. Naruto briefly looked back at her before turning his attention to the two males in front of him.

"Sakura what are you doing? You need to get out of here before they do something to you."

"Naruto…I think he's telling us the truth. Think of it, why would he want to kill me? I'm just a insignificant girl that has no real value. Yes I'm having an Uchiha baby but…I have a feeling he really wouldn't want to kill me." Sakura replied to her baffled best friend.

Naruto slowly lowered his Kunai but his eyes still never left the two men in front of him. "Fine…but any funny business and I'll have both your heads rolling on the ground."

"I can guarantee yours would be the first to fall." Kisame answered with a toothy grin.

Sakura stopped walking once she was in front of Itachi. He gazed down at her with the same eyes as Sasuke's.

"Is there something I need you to do in order to finish this quickly?" she asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

Itachi shook his head negative as his eyes scanned throughout her body. Using both his hands he placed them on her stomach and a small smile formed that was hidden beneath his cloak.

"It appears that everything is well. Your child is healthy and should remain so. But…if Sasuke continues to walk down the path he has chosen I cannot say things will stay this way."

"W-What do you mean?" Sakura asked flabbergasted.

"There is another reason why I came here. To warn you of the things that could come to pass if the father of your child does not change his ways."

Naruto's eyes widened at Itachi's words. "You mean…with Sasuke's choices it will ultimately determine the fate of Sakura and her child?"

"That is exactly what I mean." Itachi answered bitterly. "If my kid brother doesn't make the right choice when he comes to it everything will be over."

Sakura gulped as her eyes fell down to her stomach. "My baby won't be safe? I don't care about me I just want my baby to go on living!"

Itachi looked her deeply in the eyes as he tried to gauge how serious she was. Content with what he found he responded. "There is one way I can make that happen. But it will mean your demise."

Naruto's mouth fell open. "S-Sakura you can't actually be thinking to go along with whatever he's suggesting. There must be another way…something else we can do!"

Sakura met his worried eyes. "Naruto…there isn't another way. This is what has to happen." Meeting Itachi's eyes she spoke.

"What do we have to do?"

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, Okay I know you guys probably want to shoot me for taking forever to update but...I've been having writers block major! So the ending to this chapter totally wasn't planned but I have to say I like where this is going. I hope you guys don't mind the rough draft...I didn't want to go through and edit it myself and I thought I'd made you guys wait long enough as it was that it'd be okay that I just post it. I hope I'm right! Please review and tell me what you think, pretty please! I tend to write better when I know people are reading and enjoying it. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me on this story. Means the world.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The cave was filled with hundreds of small candles that casted an eerie glow around the people huddled inside it. Symbols of blood covered her bare arms and shoulders. Blazing blue eyes watched from his place perched on a cliff just above her.

"I don't like this Sakura."

She tilted her head up so she was able to make out his form. "Don't worry Naruto everything will be okay."

Naruto clenched his hands together to stop himself from jumping down to stop this ritual that rubbed him the wrong way. _'Sasuke where are you? What are you doing right now that could possibly put Sakura and your child in danger? C'mon teme…don't do anything stupid. Wait until I can find you…' _

"Now I will start the Jutsu. It will be uncomfortable and could even cause some pain." Itachi's Sharingan locked with Naruto, "I thought I would warn you of that since your bodyguard may jump down and try to stop it if you scream."

Naruto moved his feet more towards the edge.

"He won't do anything of the sort. Will you Naruto?" Sakura asked her green eyes shaking with her hidden passion.

Naruto gulped as he forced himself to nod affirmative.

Itachi seemed pleased with the exchange and he began to make the intense hand signs. Naruto watched closely as his hands blurred. _'He's as fast as Kakashi Sensei…maybe even faster. This guy…he's something unreal. Could he really save the baby? But—what about Sakura?' _

A shift in the wind occurred once his hands froze at the last sign. Naruto leaned over to get a better view. The blood that marked her skin began to glow a pale green. It gradually began to glow more and he noticed the sweat that began to build on her delicate skin.

He closed his eyes momentarily. _'Sakura you can do it. You're one of the strongest people I know. Don't give up…I'm here for you.' _

A scream filled the cave causing him to open his eyes. He was about to jump down when Kisame grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

"You can't interfere."

Naruto clenched his hands together as his eyes looked over the girl that had stolen his heart the first time his eyes made contact with hers. There was a slight glimmer of something on her neck that caught his eye from the candle light. At closer inspection he could tell it was a necklace of some kind.

'_I never thought Sakura was one for jewelry…I'll have to look into it after this is finished.' _

After a few more minutes of her screams echoing through the hall they came to an abrupt end. Itachi kneeled down beside her as she huffed for air.

"You have done well. The child will be protected now even if my foolish brother chooses poorly."

With effort she locked her eyes with Itachi's. "Thank you for everything you've done. I misjudged you from the very beginning. Does Sasuke know?"

Itachi shook his head, "And it's better if it stays that way. He needs a purpose in his life and I provide that purpose. The task you have now is to protect that child as it grows within your belly."

A swooping noise was heard as Naruto landed beside them.

"Sakura are you all right? You were screaming so loud that I wanted to do anything to make the pain stop."

Sakura smiled sweetly up at him. "Thanks Naruto but I'm okay, really." She gasped as a sharp pain ran through her back.

"There will be some lingering pain that comes up every now and then. The best thing you can do for now is rest and make sure to get plenty of sleep. If Sasuke contacts you make sure you don't mention what has taken place. If he knows then he could do something in order to put an end to it." Itachi explained as he straightened to his full height.

Sakura nodded her understanding as Naruto reached down and picked her up into his arms. Naruto's blue eyes locked with Itachi's Sharingan.

"I'll make sure nothing happens to her. Now you better get out of this village before Kakashi finds out that you're here. He'll make your life a living hell."

Itachi turned to Kisame who grinned wickedly. "We will meet again Naruto, count on it." Then with a rustling of the wind they were gone.

Naruto adjusted Sakura in his arms as he began to walk back to the village. "So Sakura, where did you get that necklace?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder, "I got it from Sasuke's house after he left the village. I've never taken it off since. When I was with him and Orochimaru I showed it to him. At first I thought he'd be furious but then…he said I could keep it. I've never been so happy in my life before."

Naruto listened carefully and intently to everything that his teammate told him. As they reached the village gates he picked up his speed a little. Sakura was weak and she needed to get home so she could be put in bed to rest.

Approaching her apartment he faltered slightly. Did Sakura have her key? Maybe it would be better if he took her to his place, that way he could watch over her. Sakura sensed his anxiety as his eyes moved from right to left.

"Naruto I have my key with me. You can just take me home."

"But Sakura…I don't know if it's good for you to be home alone right now. You're going through so much and…I hate to leave you."

With a slightly trembling hand, from her exhaustion, she pinched his cheek.

"You dork you better take me home right now so I can be comfortable and sleep. In your messy apartment there's no way I'll be able to relax!" She mocked.

Naruto chuckled nervously, "hehehe, you're right Sakura; it is a mess right now. Okay then, I'll take you home and then come check on you once I see if Kakashi Sensei needs anything."

She leaned her head against his shoulder in relief. "Thank goodness, I really need to sleep. I don't know how much longer I can keep my eyes open."

With a hand sign she summoned her keys into her palm. "Here you go. Now if you don't mind I'm just going to rest my eyes," she mumbled, her words beginning to slur from her exhaustion.

Naruto continued the walk to her apartment. He wasn't surprised when he found Kakashi leaning against her door.

"Naruto what happened?" Kakashi asked in alarm as he scurried over to the two of them.

"I'll explain everything after I set her in bed." Naruto replied gloomily as he handed Kakashi the keys to open the door for him.

Once inside he set her on her bed and covered her with a blanket he found. Kakashi watched, arms folded the whole time.

"Now let's go somewhere private so we can talk about this." Kakashi said firmly as Naruto mutely nodded his head.

The training ground they chose was deserted. Kakashi leaned against one of the wooden posts as he listened to Naruto retail all that happened with Itachi and Kisame. Naruto felt a little guilty as he told Kakashi everything that had happened. He knew it wasn't his place but Kakashi was a part of their team and deserved to know what was going on.

"This is troubling." Kakashi finally spoke once Naruto was finished explaining.

"Right? I don't know Sensei…what could Sasuke be doing that could end up being so horrible that Sakura dies from it?"

Kakashi sighed deeply as the troubling news dampened his mood. "Well there is only one thing we can really do."

Naruto was pacing anxiously in front of his Sensei. "What? What?"

"It's simple; we head out and search for Sasuke ourselves."

A grin slowly spread across Naruto's face. "Brilliant! When do we start?"

"Now this is the part you aren't going to like. I say we wait a few months before we take off."

"Wait? But Kakashi Sensei! Sasuke will be long gone by that point! We need to act now before it's too late." Naruto yelled.

Kakashi closed his eyes as from the loudness of his students voice. "Naruto you aren't thinking. We can't just take off right now in search for him. There's Sakura to think about and besides, Sasuke has already been gone a long time, the trail has long gone cold. We have to wait until there are some murmurs of him appearing."

Naruto's eyes shot downwards as he realized his Sensei was right. The best course of action was to wait patiently until they were able to receive some type of information on Sasuke's whereabouts.

"So Sakura really allowed this Jutsu to take place huh? Well it makes sense why she'd want to protect the child more than anything else in this world. But there must be a reason why Itachi would offer such an option for her." Kakashi thought out loud as he tapped his chin.

Naurto groaned as he fell on his back, his eyes looked up at the blue sky as clouds washed over it like a painting on canvas.

"Do you really think we'll be able to save Sakura in time?" his voice was monotone as he voiced his question.

Kakashi lowered his hand as he watched the expressions play out on Naruto's face. _'How much he reminds me of the fourth…if only he were here to help. Things would go a lot differently.' _

"We'll try with everything that we have in our power to save her Naruto. She still has a few months before the child will be born so I'm sure we'll be able to pull something out."

"Will you're mirror eye be able to save her this time? Will you be strong enough…will I be strong enough? I wasn't strong enough to save Sasuke…who's to say I'll have the power to save the one girl I love?"

Kakashi filled with dread as he watched all hope slowly fade from Naruto's eyes. His feet scrapped against rocks as he walked and sat down next to his student.

"Sometimes you have no choice but to have blind faith. You have never been one to give up, especially when someone you care about's life is on the line."

The wind picked up as they sat in silence. After a few minutes Naruto opened his mouth to speak, "Sensei…I won't give up. Just now I had a thought…what would the fourth Hokage do if he were here? Would he really lay here feeling sorry for himself or would he get out there and try to find ways to make himself stronger? He's my idol—and I want to be just like him, no more feeling sorry for myself. Its time to train some more; will you help me?"

Kakashi's eye was wide at the sudden burst of energy that propelled Naruto to his feet.

"Of course I'll help you. After all without me there to catch your messes you'd be in the hospital every day."

"Ah! Don't say that! I'm perfectly capable of doing my own training, and cleaning up after myself!"

"Right…just like you're capable of coming up with your own meals? I believe there was a time when all you ate was Ramen and I'd come by every week and bring you a basket of greens."

Naruto stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Just because I don't like veggies doesn't mean I don't know how to cook for myself!"

They continued to banter as they walked a little ways into the training grounds to start their very grueling training session.

* * *

Few months later...

"Your vitals look good, blood pressure is fine…yep it doesn't seem like there's anything to worry about." Tsunade grinned as she saw the relieved look overcome her pupil, "see? You had nothing to worry about Sakura."

Sakura rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry My Lady I just…this is all new to me."

"Well of course it's new to you! This is your first child; no one is expecting you to understand everything right away. All I'm saying is believe me next time I tell you that you have nothing to worry about."

"B-but the strange cravings…I never thought I'd crave for pickle flavored ramen before. I hate pickles!" Sakura exclaimed in dismay.

Tsunade laughed as she handed Sakura the charts for her to examine with her own eyes.

"Those are completely normal for a pregnant woman to have. They won't go away for a while but soon you'll be feeling back to your normal self."

"Yeah like when I have this baby." Sakura huffed in annoyance as she flipped to the second page, her eyes scanning the contents.

Tsunade couldn't help but stare at her pupil in amusement. "It's hard for me to believe you're five months along already. How is Naruto doing with all the mood swings?"

Sakura laughed despite the serious question. "Every time I walk past him he gets this slightly worried look cross his eyes. Kakashi Sensei does pretty well with my many moods but Naruto…he seems like he's always afraid, which I guess he has good reason to be."

"Do you think you'll be able to forget about Sasuke?"

Sakura's eyes stopped scanning and she slowly looked at Tsunade and away from the papers. _'Sasuke…he's been getting farther and farther away from me and the village. I have this sneaky feeling that Kakashi has something in mind though.' _

"I love him Sensei, and that won't go away. It hasn't for a long time, so don't expect it to anytime soon."

Tsunade smiled sadly, "one can always hope Sakura. Now I better let Naruto in before he has a freak out attack." She moved towards the door and before she could open it, it slid open. Sakura's green eyes landed on her friend.

"Everything okay Grandma? Is the baby all right?"

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "Everything is fine Naruto. Now why don't you take Sakura out for lunch and then we'll see you in a few hours to talk about the gender of the child."

The two of them looked at Tsunade in awe. "Wait…we get to find out what sex the baby is?" Sakura spoke for them.

The Hokage nodded her head. "Of course you do. So I'll summon you once I have some free time to chat. For now I need to report to the Elders."

"Thank you for everything." Naruto thanked, his blue eyes shined with his thankfulness. Tsunade smiled at the two of them and then excused herself from the room.

"So…what do you think it will be?" Naruto asked as he turned towards Sakura.

"I…I honestly don't care what it is, haven't we had this talk before?"

"Well sure but I was seeing if you'd changed your mind."

Sakura stood up awkwardly, "Well a boy would be good I guess. Isn't that what Sasuke would want?"

Naruto frowned. "Who cares what Sasuke wants; I'm sure he'd be happy with a girl as well."

"But it'd probably be best to start the Uchiha clan off with a male heir." Sakura said thoughtfully as they both walked out of the examining room.

"A female heir is just as good. Look at Hinata, she's the heir of her clan and she'll do a great job! So if you have a girl she'll be just as good as a boy."

Sakura smiled at him as they reached the doors of the hospital.

"Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed as he stepped out from one of the hallways.

"Sakura glad to hear everything is going well. Naruto…can't I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure thing! I'll be right back Sakura!" Naruto said as he followed Kakashi down the hallway.

"He's made a small mistake, not huge but its enough to leave a trail."

Naruto's blood ran cold for an instant and then burned with anticipation. "We know where to start to find Sasuke? So the waiting has finally paid off?"

"Yes Naruto, it's finally paid off. We leave in the hour, take Sakura home and make sure she has everything she needs. The Hokage has already approved of this mission so we don't have to worry about explaining things to her."

"All right! I'll take her home and meet you at the village gates."

Kakashi saluted and then popped away in a puff of smoke. Naruto ran back to Sakura's side.

"C'mon Sakura we need to get you home. I have a mission that needs to get started right away."

"What kind of mission is it?"

Naruto fidgeted with his hands slightly. Leave it to Sakura's curiosity to make things hard for him.

"Uh…well you see, it's sort of a secret mission. I'm not really allowed to talk about it much." He tried to fib.

"Are you going to track after Sasuke?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks; they were only a few feet away from her front door. "How'd you guess?"

Sakura shrugged her small shoulders. "Just a gut feeling I have. Come inside, there's something I want to give you."

Naruto followed her into her small apartment. She moved into the small kitchen area and began to open drawers.

"Just take this, don't ask any questions of how I came across it or anything. I'm just giving you this so you can find him."

In his stomach he had a bad feeling about whatever Sakura was going to give him. _'Why wouldn't she want me asking how she got it? Could it be so bad that she doesn't want anyone to know she has it? And why would Sakura have such a thing?' _

His face dropped in disbelief as she handed him a small pebble. "A rock? You don't want me to ask how you got a rock?"

"It's not just any rock dummy! It will start to glow once you come in contact with Sasuke's chakra. It works from long distances so you'll know in advance when you'll be facing him. And…be careful Naruto. Sasuke isn't the same person he used to be. Whatever he's chosen to do has slowly changed him, I can't promise he won't kill you."

Naruto beamed at her, "Don't worry Sakura, everything will be fine! I better go now otherwise Kakashi Sensei might leave me behind!"

Sakura watched as her best friend bolted out her front door.

"Be careful…"

She bit her lip as her thoughts turned to the pebble that she had handed him. _'If they knew I had casted a spell on it in order to track Sasuke they would wonder how I was able to do such a thing.' _She lifted her hands so she could look at them. _'From what Orochimaru did to me…I've been able to do things that I normally haven't been able to. I can't let anyone know…it has to be a secret I take to my grave.' _

_

* * *

_

The blood that covered his hands and arms didn't cause him to blink. All he could do was stare straight ahead at his destination. He had come this far and killed so many all in order to get to the place he was at now.

"Now it's time to end this." His voice was cold and crisp as he spoke to the dead bodies that scattered around him. He began his slow trek towards the grand building.

"Whoever stands in my way will die; regardless of what happens to my soul I will finish this."

* * *

**A/N: **Oh I do hope you guys all review! This story is the one that generates the most reviews so I will put more effort into updating it! My Bleach one for my last chapter only got five reviews :( That made me sad. This one at least gets like 8 to ten, of course I'd love more so please, please, please! Review! I know its sometimes a pain but I really do love to know what you guys thought of it. Sorry its taken me a few months again to update. Last night at about 10:30 I logged on and read all my reviews and felt terrible! So I knocked the rest of this chapter out in likes...five hours. So I'm sure there's errors in here and stuff but I thought you guys all deserved a chapter! Sorry about the time change and stuff in the middle of the chapters. Its just grueling to go through the whole pregnancy months and stuff but I hope you guys enjoy it anyway!

Oh! And one reviewer asked questions and I promise most, if not all, will be answered :D I'm going to try to have the next chapter out by the end of the month but if I don't then it will be followed shortly after. I'm in school again and am in an english class so I'll see how much time I have to knock out more chapters. :D

Thank you guys for sticking with me for so long! Perhaps there will be a sequel...hmmm...all depends on how this story ends and how many of you request one. ;) All right! now if you'd be so kind please push the review button and tell me what you thought!


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